Port of Oakland lifting four giant cranes 26-feet higher

The Port of Oakland continues its effort to attract more fully-loaded inbound ocean carrier calls by investing in its infrastructure.

The port said today it’s raising four massive gantry cranes 26-feet higher to span modern megaships. The $13.95 million project, scheduled to begin in April, will increase Oakland’s capacity to handle giant container vessels. 

While not quantifying the number, spokesmen say this “field of dreams” strategy will work.

“The big ships come here on a regular basis,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “This equips us to take on more of them as shipping lines continue to scale up.”

The taller cranes, located at Oakland International Container Terminal, will be able to reach 141 feet above the dock. They’ll have the height to load and unload ships with capacity up to 14,000 20-foot containers. Those are the biggest vessels calling in the U.S.

The four 13-year-old cranes each weigh 1,380 tons. They’ll be supported by jacking frames while their legs are cut away and replaced with new, longer ones. The legs will be fabricated by Shanghai-based ZPMC, manufacturer of the cranes. The Port said it will take 10-to-12 weeks to lift each crane.

The port’s cranes can lift as much as 65 tons of containerized cargo. Once they’re heightened, they’ll be able to reach three rows of containers higher on a ship.

There are 33 cranes at the port’s five marine terminals. Eight of them are tall enough to reach atop the biggest ships in Oakland. The port said it’s lifting additional cranes with an eye toward the future of global trade. More ocean carriers are building big ships, the port said, to gain economies of scale in transporting containerized cargo.