Oakland’s new cranes could be West Coast’s tallest

SSA Terminals, operator of Oakland International Container Terminal, submitted a $30 million order last week for three 300-foot tall gantry cranes.    SSA Terminals, the operator of Oakland International Container Terminal, submitted last week a $30 million order for three 300-foot-tall gantry cranes, which are expected to be delivered in 18 months, the Port of Oakland announced Tuesday.
   The new cranes, which were ordered from Shanghai-based ZPMC, will have a lift height of 174 feet above the dock and will be able to reach 225 feet across a ship’s deck, SSA said. The cranes will be able to load and unload the world’s largest containerships, according to the port.
   “Big ships are the future,” said Ed DeNike, president of SSA Containers. “They’re coming to Oakland and we’re going to be ready for them.”
   The port said the cranes, which could be 440 feet tall with booms upraised, would be the tallest on the West Coast.
   SSA currently operates 10 cranes at Oakland International Container Terminal, which handles more than 60 percent of the Port of Oakland’s total cargo volume. The port said it will remove three older cranes from the line when the new ones are installed.