New box cranes arrive at NIT increasing the Port of Virginia’s ability to handle big ships, more cargo

The Port of Virginia on Friday, March 25, welcomed a pair of massive container cranes to Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) South, the final pieces of equipment needed to complete the South Berth’s $450 million optimization project.

Photos Courtesy Va. Port Authority

“These cranes will expand our lift capacity, berth productivity and the ability to handle multiple ULCVs [ultra-large container ship] simultaneously,” said Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “This benefits the port’s users and it says, very clearly, to the ocean carriers and the industry that we are prepared to handle big ships and growing cargo volumes safely, swiftly and sustainably for decades to come.”

These cranes will be able to accommodate ultra-large container vessels, or ULCVs, that make regular stops in Virginia and even higher-volume ships of the future. These cranes have the capacity reach across a vessel that is 26 containers wide, which is three-to-four containers beyond the reach of most cranes.

The new cranes will go into service in late May giving the port 30 ship-to-shore cranes capable of handling ULCVs: Virginia International Gateway (VIG) has 12 cranes, NIT North has six and NIT South will have 12.

“These cranes complete the $800 million in land-side investments we made at both NIT and VIG,” Edwards said. “We started the effort in late 2016 and the result is 1 million units of additional lift capacity. We’ve modernized our terminals from the gate to the berth and created a twenty-first century, world-class port.

“Combine our land-side investments with the widening and deepening of the Norfolk Harbor and its channels, the expansion of NIT’s Central Rail Yard and our plans for optimizing and modernizing NIT’s North Berth and we will have all of the pieces in place to drive cargo growth, job expansion and economic development across Virginia for the next generation. It also means that, in parallel, we’re providing a high-level of efficiency, service, and care to our customers and users of The Port of Virginia.”

Crane Specifications:

• Builder: Shanghai-based Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd, (called ZPMC),
• Crane height = 170’ (52m) lift above the dock
• Boom-out length = 226’ (69m) from the rail closest to the water
• Total height with the boom up = 446’ (136m)
• Width between the legs = 59’ (18m)
• Rail Gage = 100’ (30.48m)
• Unit weight = 1,827 tons
• Lifting capacity = 65 long tons under a twin-20-foot spreader or 100 long tons under cargohook

The port’s cargo operations remained fluid in February having handled more than 296,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), 48 percent of which was loaded cargo imports.

February’s volume was more than 19 percent ahead of last February, which is an increase of more than 47,500 TEUs. Additionally, February’s volumes were a strong bounce-back from January, where volumes slipped because of lost workdays, Omicron-driven staffing challenges and a high number of vessels that were off schedule.

“We had a very high level of productivity in a short month,” Edwards said. “We are keeping our eye on a number of things that could have an impact on our operations. The Russia/Ukraine situation, inflation and rising oil prices are all things that require our attention, so we will watch and adjust if necessary.”

February Cargo Snapshot (2022 vs. 2021)

• Total TEUs – 296,201, up 19.2%
• Loaded Export TEUs – 88,582, up 1.3%
• Loaded Import TEUs – 143,476, up 30.5%
• Total Containers – 162,674, up 18.9%
• Virginia Inland Port Containers – 1,532 down 35.7%
• Breakbulk Tonnage – 8,665, up 16.2%
• Total Rail Containers – 50,721, up 19.4%
• Total Truck Containers – 105,470, up 17.4%
• Total Barge Containers – 6,483, 45.8%