Posted on November 20, 2024
East Coast container hub eyes bigger ship handling
The Port of Virginia has announced the delivery of the first of four new ship-to-ship cranes to be installed at the East Coast container gateway.
The port said the new 170-foot cranes will double the number of ultra large container vessel (ULCV) berths at Virginia International Gateway, for ships carrying more than 14,500 twenty-foot equivalent units.
As part of the $1.4 billion Gateway Investment Program, the port will have a total of 33 electric ship-to-shore cranes when the program is completed in 2027.
The new cranes were manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. of China, which has been accused by the United States of incorporating spy technology that could track U.S. shipping. More than 200 cranes made by the state-owned company, known as ZPMC, are in operation at U.S. ports. The equipment maker denied that the cranes pose a cybersecurity risk, but President Joe Biden earlier this year signed an executive order earmarking billions of dollars from infrastructure funding to replace the cranes, including those at the Port of Virginia, with ones made in America.
Four more ZPMC cranes are due to be delivered to the Port of Virginia in August 2025.
At the same time, the port completed a renewal of the Hampton Roads Chassis Pool II, retiring the last legacy chassis from the original fleet from 2004.
The asset renewal program begun in 2017 saw the replacement of 15,000 legacy chassis with OEM equipment averaging 4 years old and outfitted with radial tires and LED lights, said Arthur Ellerman, managing director of HRCP II, in a LinkedIn post.
The pool also offers specialized equipment, including 20- and 40-foot tri-axle, and undermount generator set, chassis.
The cost of the chassis pool upgrade was not disclosed.
The last legacy chassis from the original Hampton Roads Chassis Pool II fleet (top), and a view of the renewed fleet. (Photo: Port of Virginia)
