HOUSTON, Nov. 06, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Port of Houston Authority today commissioned the first of four new Super Post-Panamax ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at its Barbours Cut Container Terminal.
The four 30-story high electric cranes are the largest ever constructed by Konecranes, and currently stand taller than any other marine cranes in North America. The cranes were ordered by the Port of Houston Authority amid ongoing infrastructure expansion to prepare in part for the larger Post-Panamax container vessels that will call at the Port Authority’s facilities.
“These cranes can move a loaded container twice as fast as their predecessors,” Port Authority Executive Director Roger Guenther said. “They will bring our Barbours Cut terminal capacity from 1.25 million TEUs to 2.5 million TEUs.”
With a 65-long ton capacity and the ability to handle two 20-foot containers simultaneously, the cranes’ capacity increases to 80 long tons with use of a cargo hook. The first operational crane began discharge maneuvers early this morning with a 4,250 TEU capacity container ship.
The cranes were ordered as part of a $1 billion, five-year modernization plan that also includes dredging and land-side infrastructure and wharf improvements.
About the Port of Houston Authority
For more than 100 years, the Port of Houston Authority has owned or operated the public cargo-handling facilities of the Port of Houston – the nation’s largest port for foreign waterborne tonnage. The port is an economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the nation. It supports the creation of more than one million statewide jobs and more than 2.1 million nationwide jobs, and the generation of economic activity totaling more than $265 billion in Texas and $499 billion across the nation. For more information, visit the Port Authority website at: www.portofhouston.com