A $27m supersized cargo crane was damaged ahead of its official commissioning ceremony at the Port of Charleston, South Carolina, according to the city’s Post and Courier newspaper.
The crane is one of two post-panamax ship-to-shore cranes built in China, that the State Ports Authority (SPA) is installing at the Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Chinese crane manufacturer ZPMC said a boom on the crane was damaged when it was raised beyond its stopping point. ZPMC is working on how to repair the damage.
“A senior technical team from ZPMC is onsite to assess the damage and develop a plan for repair,” Dhand said, adding that the manufacturer will be responsible for repairs because the cranes haven’t officially been turned over to the ports authority. “We are confident that this repair will be professionally completed in a timely manner.”
It also won’t delay a ceremony scheduled for Wednesday night to commission the new cranes, which are designed to load cargo on and off ships that can carrying up to 14,000 containers – the largest capable of passing through the newly expanded Panama Canal. The private event, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m., will include a speech by Jim Newsome, the SPA’s president and CEO, followed by a light show and fireworks at the Wando Welch Terminal.
The cranes are 155 feet tall with an outreach of 200 feet, allowing them to move cargo on the largest container ships that pass through the expanded Panama Canal, ships capable of carrying 14,000 containers.
