Port Tampa Bay has approved US$24 million to be spent on two new gantry cranes, which are expected to greatly benefit the facility's container business.
The 65-tonne cranes will have a 174-foot reach that will be capable of servicing up to 19 rows of containers.
Acquiring the cranes will enable the port to serve larger, ‘post-Panamax’ container vessels being deployed by regional and global carriers, according to Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Post-Panamax vessels will traverse the Panama Canal once the canal expansion is completed at the end of 2015.
The purchase reflects the port’s strategy of growing its container footprint from the current 24ha to 64ha.
It will also enable 1 million containers to be handled on a yearly-basis.
According to a statement released by the port: “These new cranes will position Port Tampa Bay to capture the cargo that has long been moving via out-of-state ports … and provide a more efficient and enhanced supply chain alternative to the fast growing I-4 corridor region.”
Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co of China will construct and deliver the cranes.