Built by Konecranes VLC, they each weigh 1,369 tons, are 425ft long, and rise 180m above the water with a 34° incline. Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), which operates the Port of Savannah, says they are “the largest of their kind anywhere in the world”. Super post-Panamax cranes can handle cargo on vessels 22 containers wide or more, so named due to the ship’s size prohibiting passage through the locks of the Panama Canal.
They have also been designed by Konecranes to be energy efficient and run solely on electricity. Furthermore, they have the capacity to generate 30% of the power they need by harnessing gravity and the power of kinetic energy, meaning they are self-powering for 18 minutes out of every hour they are in operation.
They will be used to increase the port’s capacity to 6.5m TEUs by 2018, double its current capacity, and to position it for when the global economy recovers.
“These preparations will ensure that when the economy does turn around, our rebound will be that much greater,” said GPA executive director Doug Marchand.
