Port of Tacoma to Buy Four Gantry Cranes for $52 Million
The Northwest Seaport Alliance green-lighted a $52 million purchase of four Neopanamax gantry cranes to go to the Husky Terminal at the Port of Tacoma.
The Alliance, which ranks No. 5 in North America based on annual container volume, previously ordered four cranes currently being assembled and due to be delivered in 2018 at the same terminal. The new cranes will arrive in 2019.
“As the alliance, we can invest holistically in our facilities to ensure they remain competitive in this fast-changing industry,” said Dick Marzano, co-chairnman of The Northwest Seaport Alliance. “These improvements will help us serve our customers better and continue to create the trade-related jobs so vital to our state.”
Chinese firm Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. will build the cranes with a lift height of 165 feet above the deck.
Construction also is in progress at the Husky Terminal to create a 2,960-foot berth, which in conjunction with the cranes would allow two 18,000 industry-standard 20-foot equivalent unit containerships to dock simultaneously.
Meanwhile, UPS Inc., No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers, will open a 770,000-square-foot warehouse near the Port of Tacoma.
A UPS spokesperson said that the company will hire up to 1,200 employees for jobs, including seasonal workers around Christmas, after the complex is completed in the fall.
