Philadelphia terminal to gain new container cranes

The Packer Avenue Marine Terminal at the Port of Philadelphia will receive two new super post-panamax container cranes, which are expected to arrive and become fully operational in late 2017.    Holt Logistics Corp. and Greenwich Terminals on Thursday said they have ordered two new super post-panamax container cranes to be used at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia.
   The cranes, which have been ordered from Shanghai-based equipment manufacturer ZPMC, are expected to arrive and become fully operational in late 2017. They will be able to service ships spanning 22 or more containers wide.
   “These cranes will give Packer Avenue the ability to service the largest ships in the world,” said Thomas J. Holt Jr., president of Astro Holdings, LLC, the lease-holder of the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, in a statement.
   “With the recent opening of the Panama Canal expansion, we are excited to continue investing in our port facilities to accommodate the expected increase in volume for many east coast ports,” he added.
   Other recent investments at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal include a multimillion-dollar improvement project for the entrance/exit gate, technology and infrastructure enhancements, and the purchase of new reach stackers and refrigerated container plugs.
   Holt Logistics and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority are also jointly exploring a “densification” project at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal that will significantly increase capacity on the terminal, with plans for additional capital expenditures totaling over $100 million.