Three new ship-to-shore cranes arrive at the Port of Boston

Three new low-profile, Neo-Panamax cranes have arrived at Conley Container Terminal, ending a 10-week journey from Shanghai, China. These cranes, along with a new berth and a deepened Boston Harbor, enable Boston to handle larger ships, providing New England importers and exporters greater access and connectivity to the global marketplace, facilitating future growth at Conley Terminal.

Two of the cranes are 205 feet tall with a lifting height of 160 feet and can reach 22 container rows wide, and are the tallest low profile cranes in the world. The other crane is 145 feet tall, due to its proximity to the Logan Airport flight path, with a lifting height of 100 feet. These new cranes will efficiently service larger container ships holding 12,000-14,000 TEUs. Larger cranes are needed due to the shipping industry’s shift toward larger vessels that hold more containers. The cranes were built by ZPMC, based in China, where nearly 99% of these types of cranes are built.

The cranes are expected to be operational in the fall after undergoing months of commissioning, which includes inspection, testing and staff training.