Ship Photos of the Day - Giant Cranes Arrive in Houston Ship Channel

Four new Super Post-Panamax wharf cranes for the Port of Houston Authority’s Barbours Cut Container Terminal traveled up the Houston Ship Channel on Tuesday on the last leg of a 73-day journey aboard a heavy lift ship.

The cranes, nearly 30 stories high, were manufactured by Konecranes in Mokpo, South Korea, and left for Houston February 23, 2015.

These new electric Ship-To-Shore cranes can lift and lower a loaded container at twice the speed of the cranes currently in use at the Barbours Cut terminal. They weigh 1,505 tons, compared to 635 tons for the existing cranes.

These cranes are the largest ever built by Konecranes, measuring 289 feet high with a lift height of 204 feet. They will handle ships 22 containers wide.

“As part of a significant upgrade of our Barbours Cut Container Terminal, these new Super Post-Panamax cranes will accommodate the significantly larger vessels that will be calling on our container terminals after the expansion of the Panama Canal,” Port Commission Chairman Janiece Longoria said. “International trade, primarily containerized cargo, continues to expand rapidly at our facilities. More trade means more jobs and economic activity for our region and state in support of our mission.”

The growth in container trade through the Port of Houston and the increase in Super Post-Panamax ships coming to the port require faster and larger cranes for even more efficient containerized cargo handling.

As is the case with a number of ports up and down the eastern seaboard, the arrival of the cranes comes ahead of the completion of the Panama Canal expansion project in 2016.