The Port of Savannah recently received four Neo-Panamax cranes. Once installed, they will bring the port’s Neo-Panamax crane count to 30.
The cranes cost $47 million and their addition is expected to create more jobs and business for the southeastern United States.
Technicians must install the cranes and test them before they are used. They will go into service in February, March, and April.
Neo-Panamax cranes can lift containers 152 feet above the dock, and have a lift capacity of 72 tons. The crane fleet will allow the port to move nearly 1,300 containers per hour.
“These new cranes will prepare us for the next wave of growth for Georgia and the nation,” Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy said. “Today’s 15 percent increase in our crane fleet will help GPA (Georgia Port Authority) stay ahead of the growth curve. Nearly two-thirds of the ships serving the Port of Savannah are Neo-Panamax vessels, and we expect the shipping lines to continue their shift toward larger vessels.”
The cranes are part of infrastructure improvements at the port designed to expand the port’s reach and double the annual rail-lift capacity to 1 million container lifts.
Other improvements include upgrading the Mason Mega Rail Terminal.
In 2020, six more cranes will arrive.