Port of Houston commissions tallest marine crane in North America

The four new Super Post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes manufactured by Konecranes, which will operate at the Barbours Cut Container Terminal, will stand taller than any other marine cranes in North America.    The Port of Houston commissioned the first of four new Super Post-Panamax ship-to-shore (STS) cranes for its Barbours Cut Container Terminal last week, which were ordered to prepare in part for larger Post-Panamax containerships that will call the port, the Port of Houston Authority said.
   Finnish crane builder Konecranes manufactured the cranes in Mokpo, South Korea. They set sail in February and arrived at the Port of Houston in May.
   The cranes, which are the largest ever constructed by Konecranes, currently stand taller than any other marine cranes in North America, the Port of Houston Authority said. Weighing 1,505 tons, the 289-foot high electric STS cranes have a lift height of 204 feet with the ability to handle ships 22 containers wide.
   The contract for the cranes was said to cost nearly $50 million and was approved by the Port Commission in 2013. The cranes were ordered as part of a five-year, $1 billion modernization plan, which also involves dredging and land-side infrastructure upgrades.
   “These cranes can move a loaded container twice as fast as their predecessors,” Port of Houston Authority Executive Director Roger Guenther said. “They will bring our Barbours Cut terminal capacity from 1.25 million TEUs to 2.5 million TEUs.”
   The Barbours Cut Container Terminal features six berths that provide 6,000 feet of continuous quay. In addition to containers, the terminal also handles roll-on/roll-off and project cargo.