The first two super post-Panamax cranes at the Port of Philadelphia (PhilaPort) worked their first Neopanamax vessel – the 12,217 TEU MSC Shreya B – at Packer Avenue Marine Terminal on Sunday, August 5, 2018.
The new gantry cranes, manufactured in China by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (ZPMC), cost about $12 million each and were purchased by PhilaPort, along with the terminal’s operator, Astro Holdings, Inc. (a Holt Logistics affiliate), in order to support new ultra large container vessels (ULCV) calling the port.
Each of the new cranes weighs 1,528 metric tons, and at 391 feet tall are 30 feet higher overall than PhilaPort's other cranes. They arrived March 24, 2018 aboard the heavy load carrier vessel Zhen Hua 16, following a 91-day journey from Shanghai.
“For over a year we have been working hard to prepare the terminal for these cranes and it is great to see them here,” said Jeff Theobald, Executive Director and CEO of PhilaPort. “Last year we hit an East Coast record of 19 percent container growth. To sustain that type of growth, these new cranes are a necessity.”
The cranes were purchased as part of Governor Tom Wolf’s $300 million Port Development Plan announced in November 2016, which aims to increase cargo-handling capacity and efficiency through investments in infrastructure, warehousing and equipment. As part of the plan, Astro Holdings agreed to purchase one crane, as well as undertake other planned facility improvements.
“The arrival of the cranes is a perfect example of public/private investment into the State’s critical infrastructure,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “Every transportation professional knows how important speed to market is to logistics. These new cranes will ensure that we keep pace with other U.S. seaports and allow PhilaPort to load and discharge cargo with state-of-the-art equipment.”
“The port has a huge impact on the economy of the entire region, and these new cranes are another sign that the port is building a very bright future,” said Tom Holt, Jr., President of Astro Holdings. “The cranes allow us to handle more cargo from bigger ships, and since we’re already setting records for cargo growth at Packer, the cranes are arriving not a moment too soon.”
In the first quarter of 2019, PhilaPort will add another two identical super post-Panamax cranes and Astro Holdings another one crane at Packer Avenue Marine Terminal; bringing the terminal's total number of cranes to seven.
