Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has taken delivery of four new Post-Panamax gantry cranes for Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal.
Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards welcomed the four new 30.5-metre-gauge container gantry cranes, whose journey started from Shanghai, to the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal.
The total cost of the investment was US$112 million. US$49 million were used for the construction and delivery of the cranes and US$63 million were used for the wharf modernisation and extension of the crane rail infrastructure.
The construction works began in 2019 when Port NOLA’s Board of Commissioners approved the project.
“The four new gantry cranes are essential to Port NOLA’s overall plan for the gateway, which includes optimising facilities in New Orleans and building the Louisiana International Terminal, a new container terminal, in St. Bernard Parish,” said the port in a statement.
Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. LTD (ZPMC) manufactured and delivered the cranes to the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal on 9 December via the Shanghai Zhen Hua 23. The 1,600-ton cranes are fully electric, with zero diesel emissions, with the capability to reach containerised cargo stacked 20 containers across a ship.
Furthermore, Boos Navarre LLC designed and managed gantry crane construction and commissioning, AECOM designed the crane rail extension project and Volkert Inc. managed the construction phases of the crane rail extension project.
Orion Industrial Construction was the prime contractor for the wharf reconstruction and Metairie, La.-based Centric Gulf Coast Inc., served as the prime contractor for the electrical work.
“Containerised cargo has more than doubled over the last decade at the Port of New Orleans and this investment positions Louisiana to grow a major economic engine and job creator,” noted Louisiana’s Governor.
Port NOLA President and CEO, Brandy Christian applauded the Governor and the Louisiana legislature for providing critical project funding, including US$43 million from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and the State’s capital outlay budget.
Currently, the larger container ships currently serving the Gulf range from 8,000 to 9,500 TEU. The new gantry cranes will serve these larger ships more efficiently, complement the terminal’s two existing same-size gauge cranes and allow the port’s three 15-metre-gauge gantry cranes to serve smaller vessels.
Once the new cranes are operational, nine ship-to-shore container cranes will serve the terminal, according to a statement.
The four new cranes and the crane rail extension project are included in the first of three project phases to expand the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. Phase 2, called the “Priority Enhancements Project” is a US$10.23 million investment, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022. The third phase is the “Terminal Complex Modernization Program” and invests another US$21.5 million into the terminal.
In total, the projects that are estimated to amount to US$143.73 million include the addition of 200 electrified plugs to handle more refrigerated container cargo, a new empty container gate complex, and the reconstruction and strengthening of 15 acres of heavy-duty concrete.
