North Carolina Ports welcomed Monday its first-ever 12,000 TEU vessel to the Port of Wilmington. The Singaporean-flagged container ship, ‘Kota Pekarang’, is the largest capacity-wise to call the port to date. The ship’s visit comes on the heels of the arrival of North Carolina Ports’ third neo-Panamax crane.
US carrier Matson has received three new 65t-capacity gantry cranes at its Honolulu hub terminal at Sand Island. The new cranes are to replace three older and smaller cranes, while the existing three 40t cranes will be upgraded to the same 11.5kV electrical system and fibre-optic cabling as the new ones.
The Port of Felixstowe announced the delivery of its first remote-controlled rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs). Built by crane manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. (ZPMC), the arrival of the four machines will be followed by the delivery of four other units during the next few week.
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority announced the government’s green light, concerning the order for three-to-shore cranes for the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) in Colombo. The new cranes, that costed approximately US$25 million, will be an important step for the JCT 5 expansion project.
North Carolina Ports announced that its third neo-Panamax crane arrived at the port of Wilmington after a three-month voyage from Shanghai, China. The new crane, Nhen Hua 25, is the same with the two other neo-Panamax units that arrived in the North Carolina Ports in March 2018.
Two dock workers were killed, after the crane of the general cargo ship ‘Bistari 8’ collapsed during cargo operations at Pontianak, Western Kalimantan, Indonesia, on 4 April. According to local sources, the crane reportedly collapsed after trying to lift too heavy weight.
On March 28 the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) voted to approve the purchase of two new 100-foot gauge container gantry cranes to be used at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal.
A large crane collapsed onto one of the world’s largest cruises in a floating dry dock at the Grand Bahama Shipyard on April 1, resulting in injuries to some personnel and damage. The cruise ship ‘Oasis of the Seas’ has suffered an unspecified casualty, a major repair and refit facility for the Caribbean cruise industry.
Corvus Energy will supply the energy storage system for battery-hybrid RTG cranes by CCCC Shanghai Equipment Engineering. The order is for retrofit and newbuild deliveries in Chinese ports. The new hybrid powered port cranes are expected to provide significant benefits. The hybrid powered port cranes are powered primarily from a battery package, leading in fuel savings of up to 65%.
Port of Oakland announced its plans for a greener containerized cargo handling. The port stated that its largest marine terminal is converting 13 diesel-powered yard cranes to hybrid power. The result is expected to be an annual 45-ton reduction in diesel-related air pollutants.
