The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) has awarded a $1.6 million contract for the cleanup and repair of several container gantry cranes involved in a weather-related accident at the Blount Island Marine Terminal earlier this month. Rigging International of Alameda, California, submitted the winning bid and will now be responsible for removing two cranes destroyed in the incident and repairing three other cranes that may have been affected. In addition, the contract calls for Rigging International to transport a crane from JAXPORT’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal to Blount Island to temporarily assist in terminal operations. All of the work is expected to be completed in four to six weeks.
On August 13, 2008 high winds associated with a severe thunderstorm pushed a crane several hundred feet along on-dock rails into a row of four other cranes. The cranes were not in use and no workers were in the area at the time of the incident. Cargo coming through Blount Island has been since been handled through careful reallocation of the terminal’s existing resources, which include three unaffected container cranes.
“We are grateful to our tenants for their continued patience as we move towards resolution of this current challenge,” said Rick Ferrin, JAXPORT’s Executive Director. “With the awarding of this contract and the continued hard work of our staff and partners, we are well on our way to ensuring recovery of our full operational capacity.”
Rigging International has specialized in heavy lift rigging, specialized heavy transportation, equipment installation, maintenance, modification, repair and relocation since 1969. The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) is an independent agency responsible for the development of public seaport facilities in Jacksonville, Florida. JAXPORT owns three cargo facilities, one passenger cruise terminal and an auto-ferry service along the St. Johns River.
