New cranes for Los Angeles

This delivery, precisely timed for the lowest tide possible, marks the first arrival of cranes under the bridge since 2002. The cranes were delivered on a barge that was lowered to the water line to allow bridge clearance that was then raised to dock level upon arrival at the terminal. The cranes will be rolled onto the terminal over the next few days.

Weighing more than 300 tons and 285 feet high with the boom stowed, the cranes can lift up to 50.8 tons, and handle vessels 19 container rows across. Costing around approximately US$7m each, they took 18 months to build and 21 days to travel across the Pacific.

These cranes will help TraPac more than double its container volume over the next 30 years — from about 900,000 teu to nearly 2.4m teu in accordance with the terminal’s expansion plans that were approved earlier this month by the Los Angeles Harbour Commission.