Four new cranes yesterday arrived at the Port of Houston after a 73-day trip from Mokpo, South Korea. The new cranes are capable of serving ships of Super Post-Panamax size, ie. container ships that are 22 containers wide. These cranes, the largest ever built by Konecranes, are 289 feet high with a lift height of 204 feet. The old cranes, which were built in 1975, handled ships only 13 containers wide.
The growth in container trade through the Port of Houston and the increase in Super Post-Panamax ships coming to the port require faster and larger cranes for more efficient containerized cargo handling. The expansion of the Panama Canal will be complete in 2016, and this will allow larger post-Panamax vessels to transit the canal and bring more cargo through the Port of Houston.
The following gallery shows the four 1,505 tons cranes heading from Mokpo, South Korea to their final destination, Barbours Cut at the Port of Houston:
World Maritime News Staff; Gallery: Port of Houston