Following the major mechanical failure of the East Arm Wharf Container Crane on 14 October 2013, the Darwin Port Corporation reached a decision to decommission the crane following extensive engineering assessment.
The repair works on the damage sustained, which would not guarantee any longevity in the crane’s capability, were considered to be uneconomic, coming in at around $3 Million. The decommissioning and removal process will be undertaken in accordance with NT Government asset disposal policy.
A new shore-based crane has been recently commissioned by Patrick Stevedores and is now available for use. The Patrick crane has similar lifting capabilities to that of the de-commissioned container crane and will provide a more efficient method of discharging vessels than the ships’ equipment that has been used since the mechanical failure.
A second mobile harbour crane is due to be available for use from mid-February 2014, commissioned by QUBE Stevedores. This crane will also have a comparable capability to the decommissioned container crane. With two shore-based cranes operating at East Arm will provide significantly improved crane capability, well beyond the capability of the decommissioned container crane.
Looking ahead, the Port Corporation will be undertaking a study into future investment in a replacement container crane. This study will cover the required capability, expected cost and delivery lead times for a replacement crane and will be used in the formulation of a business case and recommendations which will be provided to the NT Government by the end of May 2014.
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Press Release, December 18, 2013