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For Immediate Release
April 29, 2002
(Port container cranes poised outside the gate as crew prepares
for delivery)
 OAKLAND,
Calif (April 29, 2002) - As the Port of Oakland celebrates 75 years
of history, the Port is also making its mark on the future with
the arrival of more giant container cranes. After a 23-day voyage
from Shanghai, China where some of the world's biggest cranes are
constructed, four super-Panamax cranes are poised atop a vessel
15 miles out at sea near Bolinas Bay. The vessel is scheduled to
come under the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges Wednesday morning, May
1, 2002 (weather permitting) with just inches to spare. There will
be another set of four enormous container cranes arriving later
this month. Port of Oakland Executive Director Tay Yoshitani
said, "These super-Panamax cranes symbolize the progress being
made by the Port of Oakland with its maritime expansion Vision 2000
Program, which is moving well toward completion." Yoshitani
added, "We're creating the infrastructure necessary to meet
increased cargo shipping demands anticipated on a regional, national
and international scale."
Port of Oakland President of the Board of Port
Commissioners Phillip Tagami stated, "Overall the maritime
expansion projects, once completed, will mean a tremendous economic
benefit to the region by adding some 9,000 new jobs, more than $2
billion in business revenue annually and $62 million to state and
local taxes annually."
You may recall the excitement around the first
four giant super-Panamax cranes, as they were carefully delivered
to the Port in October 2000. This latest delivery includes two of
the Port's largest cranes to date, which will be installed at the
new Stevedoring Services of America Terminal set for operation in
August and a grand opening in October. These enormous workhorses
of the maritime industry are being added to handle the newer, wider
container vessels that now transit the globe. Two more super-Panamax
cranes, slightly shorter, will be added to the Transbay Container
Terminal at the Outer Harbor.
Port of Oakland Maritime Director Jerry Bridges
commented on the port's growing success in the maritime industry,
"With this tremendous expansion, the Port of Oakland is well-positioned
to capture both new business as a first port of call and a good
share of the increase in international cargo movement as the global
economy turns around."
Terry Smalley, Port of Oakland's supervising
engineer and project lead for the giant cranes said, "We brought
four giant cranes under the bridges in October 2000 and we are confident
of a smooth repeat performance." Smalley, who will ride atop
the cranes as they arrive, added," It will still be a very
exciting event when you watch these huge cranes glide under both
bridges."
The Port's largest cranes are 350 feet high
with the booms up and 220 feet high with the booms lowered. It will
take a day or two for the booms to be lowered at sea. This has to
be done so that the cranes can safely pass under the Golden Gate
and Bay Bridges. That means the cranes are about as tall as a 22-story
building when they come under the bridges (220 feet high).
The Port of Oakland's giant cranes accommodate
the newest generation container ships. The cranes have the capacity
to lift 65 long tons (145,600 lbs) at one time. They can reach 201
feet over a ship. These are among the fastest cranes in the world,
hoisting at a speed of 230 feet/minute with the capacity to load
or discharge over 30 cargo containers per hour. In the business
of moving goods, speed means saving time and money.
The two shiploads of cranes arriving in May
will bring a total of 8 new cranes to the Port of Oakland. Six of
the giant cranes are worth about $5.5 million each and 2 slightly
smaller ones are valued at about $5.2 million apiece. Six of the
larger cranes will be installed at the new Stevedoring Services
of America Terminal (SSAT). This terminal will include three berths
and be built out to 150 acres. Between the Hanjin Terminal, which
opened last year (home of the first four giant cranes, berths 55
- 56), and the new Stevedoring Services of America Terminal (berths
57 through 59), as many as 5 ships could be loaded and unloaded
simultaneously.
Combined the Port of Oakland has two new marine
mega-terminals, 12 new super-Panamax cranes (8 this year and 4 from
the year 2000) and a new Joint Intermodal Terminal (near-dock rail
facility being operated as the Oakland International Gateway by
Burlington-Northern Santa Fe). With the expanded terminals and a
new total of 42 container cranes at the Port of Oakland, the marine
facilities here are nearly doubling in size.
The Port of Oakland, established in 1927, is
an independent department of the City of Oakland employing some
600 people. The Port extends approximately 19 miles along the east
side of the Oakland Estuary from the border of the City of Emeryville
immediately north of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, to the
south to the border of the City of San Leandro. Supporting some
44,000 jobs and generating nearly $7 billion in annual economic
impact, the Port of Oakland is a tremendous economic engine for
Northern California. The Port of Oakland's three revenue-generating
divisions are Maritime, Aviation and Commercial Real Estate. The
Port oversees Oakland International Airport, Oakland's seaport -
home of the giant container cranes, and more than 1,000 acres of
real estate including Jack London Square, Oakland's premiere entertainment
spot along the waterfront.
The Port of Oakland, celebrating its 75th anniversary,
is the fourth largest containerport in the country.
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