Port of Virginia orders four new cranes
The Port of Virginia has signed a contract allowing for the purchase of four new ship-to-shore cranes that are part of the $320 million expansion of Virginia International Gateway (VIG), the company said in its press release.
The Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners in its July meeting approved a spending package of $44.8 million that covers the cost of the cranes, parts, their delivery to Virginia from China and installation at VIG. The cranes are being built by Shanghai-based Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd (ZPMC).
The largest of their kind in the United States, these four cranes will be able to handle the Ultra Large Container Vessels, or ULCVs, that are currently calling the port, as well as the even higher-volume ships of the future.
In order to ensure these cranes are built to the port’s specifications, engineers from the port will visit the ZPMC facility to oversee the manufacturing process. The contract also includes the purchase of several specialized cargo handling components for the cranes and an option on two additional ship-to-shore cranes for use at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT).
Once the new cranes are delivered, The Port of Virginia will have 30 ship-to-shore cranes at work in the Norfolk Harbor and the ability to service the biggest container ships sailing the Atlantic Ocean: VIG will have 12 cranes; NIT has 14; and Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) has six. The new cranes are set for delivery in April 2019.
Work is underway at VIG on a $320 million expansion project that will expand the terminal’s, berth, rail operation and stack yard and bring the annual container throughput capacity to 1.2 million units. The project is one of two large-scale expansion projects that, when complete, will increase the port’s overall annual container capacity by 40 percent, or 1 million container units, by 2020.
The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VPA owns and through its private operating subsidiary, Virginia International Terminals, LLC (VIT), operates four general cargo facilities: Norfolk International Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Newport News Marine Terminal and the Virginia Inland Port in Warren County. The VPA leases Virginia International Gateway and Richmond Marine Terminal. In Virginia, the port, its associated users and related industries generate more than 374,000 jobs and $60.3 billion in total annual economic impact throughout the Commonwealth.
