Nov.10--THE Port of Houston Authority has announced that the first of four new super post-Panamax ship-to-shore (STS) cranes built by Konecranes has gone into operation at its Barbours Cut Container Terminal, where it unloaded containers from a 4,250-TEU vessel.
The cranes were ordered by the Port of Houston Authority as part of a US$1 billion, five-year modernisation plan that also includes dredging and land-side infrastructure and wharf improvements to prepare for the arrival of larger post-Panamax container vessels that will call at the port authority's facilities.
The four 30-storey high electric cranes currently stand taller than any other marine cranes in North America.
"These cranes can move a loaded container twice as fast as their predecessors," port authority executive director Roger Guenther said in a statement. "They will bring our Barbours Cut terminal capacity from 1.25 million TEU to 2.5 million TEU."
With a 65-tonne capacity and the ability to handle two 20-foot containers simultaneously, the cranes' capacity increases to 80 tons with use of a cargo hook.
(Source:shippingazette)