Terminal Operations: Portland (OR), Oakland
Oakland: Cranes Going Higher at Port’s Largest Marine Terminal
As many as six 366-foot-tall cranes will soon be raised 27 feet higher at the Port of Oakland, making it easier to work megaships with containers stacked high above deck.
The project costing $14 million to $21 million begins this spring at the port’s largest marine terminal.
The plan approved February 24 by the port’s governing board calls for installing longer legs on four-to-six cranes at Oakland International Container Terminal. The terminal handles 70 percent of Oakland’s cargo. Last winter it received the 1,300-foot long Benjamin Franklin, the largest container ship ever to visit the United States.
The process entails the use of a massive jack to lift the entire crane off the terminal deck. Portions of the original crane legs are cut away. New leg extensions are then placed under the crane and fastened into place.
The terminal hopes to begin work on the cranes in April. Completion is scheduled for the second quarter of 2018, depending on how many cranes are raised. That number will also determine the total cost of the project.
The port said it will take about nine weeks to raise each crane. Jacking equipment is already en route to Oakland. Up to 40 tractor-trailers will be used to transport the equipment. Steel leg extensions are being fabricated in China where the cranes were manufactured.
The port will front the expense of raising the cranes and recoup its costs through lease payments from terminal operator SSA.
"We’re already working the largest ships to call in North America," said John Driscoll., the port’s director of maritime. "By raising the height of ship-to-shore cranes, we make certain that we’re ready as more megaships head our way."
Portland (OR): Port, ICTSI Agree to Lease Termination at Terminal 6
Terminal 6 at the Port of Portland
Photo/Port of Portland
ICTSI Oregon, Inc. and the Port of Portland have mutually agreed to terminate a 25-year lease agreement to operate the port’s Terminal 6.
The agreement allows ICTSI Oregon to be relieved of its long-term lease obligations effective March 31, 2017, pending approval by the Portland Port Commission. In exchange, the port will receive $11.45 million in compensation to rebuild business, as well as additional container handling equipment, spare parts and tools at the terminal.
"Small businesses, farmers, agricultural producers, shippers and communities throughout the Columbia River region deserve and need a fully-functioning container terminal," said ICTSI Oregon CEO Elvis Ganda. "Hopefully, this agreement with the port will make it possible for business to return to the terminal more quickly. However, ICTSI Oregon will continue to address the labor issues that gave rise to its decision to enter into this agreement and will pursue its legal claims against the ILWU."
"This is the best opportunity to launch a new strategy to restore carrier service for Oregon and Northwest shippers," said Port Executive Director Bill Wyatt. "While the global carrier industry continues to undergo rapid change, we now have a new path to redefine our future in this business and launch new strategies to bring the terminal back to life."
The port signed the lease with ICTSI Oregon in 2010. It now plans to "engage with a broad range of stakeholders including ocean carriers, shippers, railroads, truckers, barge operators, terminal operators and labor to create a new plan to bring business back to the terminal."