Oakland Gets New Massive 400-Foot-Tall Cranes
Towering new cranes are coming to the Port of Oakland to handle the massive ships calling the seaport. These new cranes will be the tallest ever at Oakland, and rank among the largest in the U.S.
When in the raised position, the three new cranes can each soar 400 feet high and are valued at $30 million in total.
Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) is investing in the three giant cranes for its marine terminal at Oakland (Oakland International Container Terminal – OICT). The huge container cranes are coming on a ship that is designed to accommodate these enormous workhorses of the maritime industry.
According to American Journal of Transportation, the cranes are too tall to fit underneath the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge when fully extended, so they needed to lower the booms to clear the bridges.
SSA ordered the cranes from Shanghai-based ZPMC. They are expected to arrive at the end of this month.
“Taller cranes are needed for efficiently handling cargo that arrives on ultra-large container ships,” said SSA Containers President Edward DeNike. “This new infrastructure is a commitment to the Port that we will continue our maritime business at Oakland well into the future.”
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According to SSA, its new cranes would have a lift height of 174 feet above the dock. They would be able to reach 225 feet across a ship’s deck. When the crane booms are in the raised position, they will soar more than 400 feet above the wharf. SSA operates 10 cranes at Oakland International Container Terminal.
The Port said it would remove three older cranes from the terminal when the new ones arrive.
“There’s no better demonstration of our maritime partner’s faith in the Port of Oakland, than investing in these huge ship-to-shore cranes,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes. SSA’s investment in the three new cranes is valued at $30 million.
Port of Oakland’s three revenue divisions, maritime, aviation and commercial real estate, support more than 84,000 jobs in the region (pre-COVID-19 stats)
