Port Everglades to Buy Additional Gantry Cranes
Posted by Eric Haun
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Broward County's Port Everglades said it is purchasing three low-profile Super Post Panamax container-handling gantry cranes at $13.8 million each to meet demands from current customers and new services anticipated from the port's multi-million-dollar expansion program. The Broward County Board of County Commissioners approved the $41.4 million crane purchase today, with an option for the seaport to purchase an additional three cranes anytime within five years of placing the order for the first three cranes.
"Cargo ships are getting larger and several shipping lines already coming to Port Everglades from Europe and South America need Super Post-Panamax cranes now. The longer we wait, the higher the price, in addition to increasing our chances of losing important business," said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steve Cernak. "We cannot afford to wait until our harbor deepening and widening project is completed because the cranes are needed now."
The three new cranes will be specially constructed by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. Inc. (ZPMC) to meet federal height restrictions due to the seaport's proximity to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The new low-profile cranes will have the ability to handle containers stacked eight units high and reach our across 22 containers on a ship's decks. Port Everglades' existing seven gantry cranes in the Southport area, where the majority of the Port's containerized cargo handling takes place, are limited to containers stacked five units high and can reach out across 16 containers on a ship's deck.
The Port Everglades Department is a self-supporting Enterprise Fund of Broward County, Florida government with operating revenues of more than $163 million in Fiscal Year 2016 (October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016). It does not rely on local tax dollars for operations.