SSA Marine and the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport (Port of Gulfport) announced the commissioning of a new Liebherr LHM 550 hybrid mobile harbor crane at the Port, along with $1.6 million in state grant funding that will enable the electrification of the crane.
The crane has a lift capacity of 124 metric tons and will be SSA Marine’s second LHM 550 in operation at the Port of Gulfport. The crane runs on a hybrid drive system, and the Port and SSA Marine are working together to add the electrical infrastructure that will allow it to operate on electric power.
The $1.6 million grant was awarded to the Port through the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Strategic Multi-Modal Investments Fund which, along with a partial match from SSA Marine, will fund the electrical connection for the new mobile harbor crane.
The primary use of the crane will be bulk cargo handling for The Chemours Company, moving ilmenite sand, a raw material used to produce white titanium dioxide pigment. Chemours has operated a nearby manufacturing facility in DeLisle, Mississippi, for more than four decades. The added capacity from the crane supports the reliable handling of Chemours’ cargo.
The hybrid crane and accompanying grant funding are part of SSA Marine and the Port’s continued investment to expand cargo handling capability and modernize terminal equipment. To mark the crane’s arrival, representatives from SSA Marine, the Port of Gulfport, Chemours, and the International Longshoremen’s Association gathered at the terminal to celebrate the milestone.