New Orleans moves to accommodate larger ships

The Port of New Orleans is making good on its master plan to meet accelerating volume at the port, especially when it comes to accommodating the larger containerships serving the Gulf Coast, port officials said in late March.

On March 28, the Port approved a $23.4 million contract to purchase two additional 100-foot gantry cranes for its Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. Shanghai, China-based Shanghai Zenhua Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. will build and deliver the cranes, port officials said, adding that there are no domestic manufacturers of container gantry cranes.

The cranes will speed the Port's ability to handle the larger workhorse container ships in service today, which range from 8,000 to 9,500 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), port officials said. The cranes can work ships that are stacked more than 20-containers wide. The two new cranes will complement two existing 100-foot gauge cranes already in operation at the site and are part of the port's master plan to accommodate growth, officials said.

The Port of New Orleans' container business has doubled in the past 10 years, fueled by export resins produced by chemical companies along the Lower Mississippi River and in Southwest Louisiana, officials also said.