Georgia Ports: Crane and Able

The first of Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) four new Neo-Panamax cranes have come online, bringing its operating fleet to 27. The super-sized crane is tall enough to lift containers 152 feet above the dock.

Konecranes of Finland designed these massive cranes, which can work the largest ships now calling the U.S. East Coast, reaching across vessels up to 22 containers wide.

Garden City Terminal—the largest single container terminal in the Western Hemisphere—will receive another six cranes by 2020, growing the fleet to 36. This will allow the GPA to move nearly 1,300 containers per hour over a single dock. With integral generators, the cranes are able to capture enough energy while lowering boxes to power themselves for 18 minutes of every working hour.

The additional cranes, along with the Savannah Harbor deepening, will help accommodate the industry’s move toward larger vessels.