The Ultimate Cargo | Ship to Shore Cranes For Port Houston

These three container cranes, standing more than 25 stories tall, sailed to the port’s facility with booms raised onboard a large specialized heavy load carrier vessel, the Zhen Hua 27.  They are the largest ship-to-shore cranes in Texas, standing about 270 feet tall and with a boom length of 211 feet.

The cranes will be able to load and unload vessels up to 22 containers wide. One of the cranes is equipped with technology to remotely operate the crane from a computer in an office setting rather than in the cab of the crane itself. These new cranes are yet another step to ensure Port Houston is ready for the growth and opportunities of the future.

Also arriving at the Bayport facility were 10 rubber-tired gantry yard cranes just days later. Five RTGs arrived in August and the other five were delivered in September. These cranes are needed at Bayport to meet the current and projected growth in the container business at the facility to further improve the vessel productivity and truck turnaround times.

The new assets at Bayport are state-of-the-art and will increase cargo-handling efficiency and capacity and support the port’s infrastructure. The three newest STS cranes will bring to a total number of 26 ship-to-shore operational cranes working at Port Houston’s Bayport and Barbours Cut Container Terminals, 13 of which are Neopanamax.

Port Houston handles nearly 70 percent of container cargo transported through the U.S. Guff. Containerized cargo includes shipments of everyday items used by retail customers including clothes, electronics, household goods and furniture. Increasingly larger container ships calling Port Houston require faster and larger cranes for more efficient containerized cargo handling to help get goods to retail stores and distribution centers sooner.

“We have been looking forward to receiving these cranes and to begin the commissioning of their operation,” said Port Houston executive director Roger Guenther.

Port Houston has been reinvesting in its facilities using the cash generated from its operations. More than $70 million in capital project awards and advertisements were considered at the July Port Commission meeting to keep commerce moving through Port Houston and maintaining capacity for the high demand ahead.

Further demonstrating its commitment to strategic investment, the Port Commission awarded a $49 million construction contract for Container Yard 7 at the Bayport Terminal. This new construction will add 50 additional acres of container yard storage, area.

The community was able to get a view of the ship-to-shore cranes on the Houston Ship Channel from El Jardin Park beach in Pasadena, while a number of media and port customers and operators enjoyed the view from a tent alongside wharf no. 2 at Bayport, some cheering as they arrived at the dock.

Many Houstonians and visitors shared their photos on social media as the cranes arrived in Galveston and made their voyage to Bayport along the Houston Ship Channel.