Three new, ship-to-shore container cranes have been constructed in Ireland and are scheduled for delivery to Crowley Puerto Rico Services’ Isla Grande Terminal in San Juan later this month, the company said in its press release. The electric-powered cranes will be used to load and discharge containerized cargo being carried aboard Crowley’s two new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered, Commitment Class ConRo ships, one of which is expected to be in service in the second half of 2017 and the other in the first half of 2018.
These are the first new, specialized gantry cranes to be received for operation in San Juan Harbor in five decades. Crowley is investing more than $130 million of the $550 million total project cost in infrastructure improvements to its Isla Grande terminal, including a new pier, cranes, container staging areas, reefer plugs, truck gates, container handling equipment and more.
The cranes will each have a capacity of 65 long tons and measure approximately 65 meters tall, with an outreach of 40 meters. They will bring the best-possible container-handling technology – including operator-assist modes, laser profiling that targets containers for precision handling, memory settings and truck positioning system – to the Puerto Rico trade, all features that improve safety and maximize container loading and discharge efficiency.
The new cranes were built by Liebherr Container Cranes, part of the Liebherr Group, in Ireland. A video available here shows the cranes being loaded for transport to Puerto Rico.