Additional Post-Panamax crane will help Oregon businesses compete in international trade
Oregon's businesses took a big step closer to their customers today when Governor Ted Kulongoski and Oregon State legislators announced the list of projects slated to receive $100 million worth of ConnectOregon funding at the Port's Terminal 6 container facility.
ConnectOregon is the state's first major funding initiative targeted at multimodal or non-highway transportation in Oregon.
'We chose to announce ConnectOregon at the Port of Portland because it is the focal point for so much of Oregon's international trade,' said Governor Kulongoski. 'Through ConnectOregon, we're providing the Port with its fourth Post-Panamax crane and helping this vital transportation hub become more competitive. When T-6 is more competitive, Oregon is more competitive.'
Studies have shown the availability of container vessel service at T-6 saves regional shippers $381 per container in inland transportation costs compared to shipping containers through Puget Sound or California ports.
After announcing the projects chosen to receive funding, Kulongoski and state legislators presented Port Executive Director Bill Wyatt and Port Commissioner Steve Corey with a $7.5 million check to purchase the Port's fourth Post-Panamax container crane.
'This fourth crane will play an important role in helping us attract and retain container shipping lines,' said Wyatt. 'We're working with a number of shipping lines who currently bring or are interested in bringing Post-Panamax ships to Portland. With a fourth crane, we're increasing Portland's attractiveness to these shipping lines on an exponential scale because we can work one ship with four cranes or accommodate two Post-Panamax ships at a time.'
Post-Panamax cranes are modern marvels of engineering technology. They are as tall as a 16-story building and as wide as two city blocks, allowing them to reach above and across today's taller and wider container ships. Modern cranes are capable of moving 30 containers per hour weighing as much as 12 full-size pickup trucks between ships and trucks. Most West Coast ports use three to six cranes at a time to efficiently load and unload Post-Panamax ships.
It takes Zen Hua Port Machinery Company, located just outside Shanghai, China, one and a half to two years to build and deliver a crane.
The Port's new crane, delivery, spare parts and installation will cost approximately $10 million. The Port will pay for all additional costs beyond the $7.5 million ConnectOregon funding. The Port plans to order the crane as soon as possible and estimates delivery could be as soon as 2008.
