- The massive 300-foot-tall cranes would be installed at the port’s main cargo terminal.
- The cranes would be making the process of loading & unloading cargo from the containers significantly quicker.
SSA Terminals (SSA), a Washington-based cargo-terminal operation service provider, has reportedly announced that it has ordered three 300-foot-tall cranes for the Oakland International Container Terminal from renowned Chinese multinational engineering & manufacturing firm, Shanghai Zhenhua (ZPMC).
Reports cite, the cranes, which are capable of reaching heights of up to 440 feet when their booms are fully extended, would be delivered from China to the site by project cargo-vessels. The cranes would be arriving at the port partially assembled so that they can be ferried from under the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco.
According to a report by Logistics Management, the three new gantry cranes boast of a total lift height of about 174 feet above the cargo dock. The cranes would also be capable of reaching 225 feet across the cargo container ship’s deck. The new workhorses would be making the process of loading & unloading cargo containers from the vessels significantly quicker and relatively easier.
The Containers President at SSA Terminals, Ed DeNike stated that big container ships are the future of logistics and that the company would be ready to install the three cranes across the main docks when they arrive into Oakland.
The Communications Director at The Port of Oakland, Mike Zampa stated that 14,000 TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) cargo vessels are already a regular feature at the Oakland docks. Zampa further added that there is no fixed timeframe in place for bigger ships (18,000 TEUs & above), but it is anticipated that the West Coast would be seeing them in 2 to 3 years’ time.
According to reports, the deal for the three cranes is worth over $30 million. Moreover, the cranes would be delivered within 18 months & would be installed late next year.