Print
Maritime

Third Neo Panamax Crane Floats To New Home At Port

By Jenny Callison, posted Apr 8, 2019
A nearly 1.6-ton, 151-foot-tall neo-Panamax crane arrived at the Port of Wilmington on Monday. (Photo by Jenny Callison)
The Port of Wilmington welcomed its third neo-Panamax crane Monday afternoon, a long-awaited element in the port’s major infrastructure initiative. The new crane joins two identical structures that arrived at the port in March 2018.

The specialized ship carrying the crane made its way up the Cape Fear River, arriving about 1 p.m. Monday.

Installation of the new crane will take about two months. The crane -- along with berth enhancements to give the port 2,600 consecutive linear feet of docking and unloading space, and widening of the port’s turning basin – will double the port’s capacity and triple its refrigerated container capacity, officials said.

While all the port's cranes are used to load and unload cargo, the neo-Panamax cranes enables the Port of Wilmington to handle 14,000 TEU vessels, the largest ships currently calling at East Coast ports.

TEU stands for twenty-foot equivalent unit, which can be used to measure a ship’s cargo carrying capacity. The dimensions of one TEU are equal to that of a standard 20-foot shipping container, which is 20 feet long and 8 feet tall.

The third crane will be positioned along the dock to facilitate unloading of two neo-Panamax cargo ships simultaneously, Brian Clark, N.C. Ports' chief operating officer, said Monday after supervising the crane’s safe arrival at the port. That has not been possible before, he said, adding that he anticipates demand for such capacity once the port enhancements are complete.

A third element to increasing the port’s neo-Panamax capacity, and thus its ability to compete with other ports, is a wider turning basin. That part of the port plan has run into difficulty: in March the N.C. Division of Coastal Management denied the port’s application for the necessary dredging and construction permit, citing environmental concerns.

The N.C. Ports is appealing that decision and has presented a mitigation plan to address the state department’s concerns about a wider turning basin’s environmental impact, Clark said, adding that a variance hearing is scheduled for this month.
Ports officials are hopeful that they will get a thumbs-up on the project, given the mitigation measures they propose, Clark said.

The three neo-Panamax cranes were purchased for $33.8 million from Shanghai-based Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. (ZPMC). ZPMC is the world’s largest heavy-duty equipment manufacturer of port equipment, according to Port of Wilmington officials, who added that there are currently no American manufacturers of ship-to-shore container cranes. Each weighs 1,553 tons and stands 151 feet high.
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Tommytaylor ceo unitedway

How Philanthropy Fits Into Your Financial Plan

Tommy Taylor - United Way
Untitleddesign7

Getting Your Community Ready for Spring and Summer

Dave Orr - Community Association Management Services
Untitleddesign4

Paving the Way to Better City Streets

Tony Caudle - City of Wilmington

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

NCino's Fourth-quarter Earnings Signal Rebound From Liquidity Crisis

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 27, 2024

In The Current Issue

Q&A: Andrews Reflects On Leadership

Pender County Manager David Andrews is slated to retire this summer after 33 years in local government....


Topsail-area Realtors Share Updates

Pender County Realtors recently shared updates about the coastal market at an event hosted by the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Associa...


MADE: Polyhose Inc.

Polyhose manufactures and fabricates hose protection, paint hose assemblies and rubber hydraulic assemblies from its Pender County facility....

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments