March 27 - Crowley Puerto Rico Services has taken delivery of three Liebherr ship-to-shore cranes at its Isla Grande Terminal in San Juan.
The specialised gantry cranes are the first to be delivered for use at San Juan Harbour in five decades, said Crowley.
HLPFI readers will recall the three Liebherr ship-to-shore cranes, which were constructed in Ireland, were loaded onto OHT's semi-submersible heavy lift vessel, Albatross in February.
According to Crowley, the cranes are a key element of the USD130 million the company is investing in infrastructure improvements to its Isla Grande Terminal. Each crane has a 65-tonne capacity and measures approximately 65 m tall, with an outreach of 40 m.
"We went to great lengths to ensure we have cranes optimised to handle our specialised 53 ft (16.15 m) container equipment, as well as standard container sizes," said Jose Ayala, vice president of Puerto Rico services. "We are pleased that these cranes will continue to help us meet the unique demands of Puerto Rico shippers, bringing even more speed to meet their needs, while also marking a historic achievement for the island."
In total, Crowley is investing more than USD550 million to transform its Puerto Rico shipping services. As HLPFI reported, in addition to the cranes, the company launched El Coqui - the first of two new, liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered, Commitment Class ships. El Coquí is expected to begin service during the second half of 2017, and its sister ship, Taíno, which is named after the indigenous people of Puerto Rico, is due to commence service in the first half of 2018.
