The Alabama State Port Authority's newest crane, which will operate at McDuffie Berth 1, arrived at the mouth of the Mobile River on Sunday, October 22, 2006. The crane is part of a $30 million conversion and expansion project at McDuffie to meet the state's and southeast US' utility coal needs. The Berth 1 project, when completed will provide McDuffie with an annual handling capacity of about 24 million tons.

The ZPMC crane set sail from Shanghai, China in August of this year. When the vessel arrived at the Port of Mobile, it had four additional cranes on board.

ZPMC crane facts:

  • The new crane will be called the S - Crane
  • The unloading contractor will be Rigging International Crane type: GSU --- Gantry Ship Unloader
  • Boom Height: Down position 115 feet above the rail
  • Boom Height: Up position 265 feet above the rail
  • Bucket capacity: 44 cu. yds.
  • Crane lifting capacity: 50 metric tons
  • Rated Capacity: 2000 metric tons per hour.