The Port of Oakland has completed the raising of four ship-to-shore cranes at Oakland International Container Terminal.

According to the port, the cranes are 27 feet taller after the year-long project and are ready to serve larger ships with containers stacked high above vessel decks. The port managed the crane-raising project together with Stevedoring Services of America, which operates OICT.

“Taller cranes are critical for loading and unloading massive container ships that arrive at our marine terminal,” said Ed DeNike, president of SSA. “These huge cranes will help us move cargo more efficiently through the Oakland seaport and support our operations for years to come.”

After the US$14 million project, the four gantry cranes now have a lifting height of 142 feet above the dock and can be up to 393 feet tall with the booms in the highest position. They are capable of reaching over an additional three levels of stacked containers on a large ship’s deck.

“Raising cranes is part of our infrastructure investment strategy to increase the Port of Oakland’s competitive edge on the US West Coast,” said John Driscoll, maritime director of the Port of Oakland. “We’re confident that this will help us move more imports and exports through Oakland.”

The Port of Oakland, which posted a year-on-year increase of 2.3% in total container volume for the first half of 2018, anticipates heightening more cranes and adding new ones over the next few years in partnership with its terminal operators.