The Port of Virginia signed a contract allowing for the purchase of four new ship-to-shore cranes, the largest of their kind in US, as part of the $320 million expansion of Virginia International Gateway (VIG), according to the port’s authority.
In its July meeting, the Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners approved a spending package of $44.8 million that covers the cost of the cranes, parts, their delivery to Virginia from China and installation at VIG.
The cranes, being built by Shanghai-based Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd (ZPMC), will be able to handle the Ultra Large Container Vessels, or ULCVs, that are currently calling the port, as well as the even higher-volume ships of the future.
“These cranes are the biggest of the big – the largest ZPMC has ever delivered to the U.S.” said Virginia Port Authority (VPA) Board Chairman John G. Milliken. “What is unique about these cranes is their outreach, they will be able to reach across a vessel that is 26 containers wide, which is three-to-four containers wider than most cranes.”
The contract also includes the purchase of several specialized cargo handling components for the cranes and an option on two additional ship-to-shore cranes for use at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT).
Once the new cranes are delivered, the Port of Virginia will have 30 ship-to-shore cranes at work in the Norfolk Harbor and the ability to service the biggest container ships sailing the Atlantic Ocean: VIG will have 12 cranes; NIT has 14; and Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) has six. The new cranes are set for delivery in April 2019.
