Port Operations: Longview, Los Angeles, New Orleans

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The Port of Longview reports its second mobile harbor crane is "fully commissioned, certified and ready to go." The Port of Los Angeles and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/EIR) for the Yusen Terminals Inc. Container Terminal Improvements Project. The 1,200-foot MSC Judith tied the record for the longest container ship to berth in New Orleans when she docked May 3 at Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal.

Longview Buys Second Mobile Harbor Crane

The Port of Longview earlier this year took delivery of its second mobile harbor crane. Manufactured in Austria, the $4.8 million crane will be used for break bulk cargos and project cargos, such as heavy-lift engines and transformers. Equipped with a bulk cargo bucket and a container-handling attachment, the crane also has the ability to handle bulk cargos.

It complements the port’s first mobile crane, a similar model purchased from the same company in 2008. Together, the two cranes give the port increased flexibility in cargo handling, including tandem lifts and heavy-lift cargos of up to 140 metric tons.

The new crane arrived from Belgium aboard the EIT Paloma on January 4. Workers subsequently spent three weeks assembling the 481-ton crane, which required one week of operator training. It is now "fully commissioned, certified and ready to go," says Port CEO Geir-Eilif Kalhagen.

Longview’s new mobile harbor crane (left) alongside the crane it purchased in 2008.
Photo/Port of Longview 

Los Angeles: Draft EIS/EIR for Yusen Container Terminal

The Port of Los Angeles and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/EIR) for the Yusen Terminals Inc. (YTI) Container Terminal Improvements Project, located at Berths 212-224 at the Port of Los Angeles, on the north side of Terminal Island along the Cerritos Channel, near the East Basin.

The proposed project entails improving Berths 214-216 wharves, increasing berth depth from -45 to -53 feet, and improving Berths 217-220 wharves to make way for 100-foot gauge gantry cranes, as well as berth deepening to -47 feet. The project will also construct additional on-dock rail yard capacity for YTI.

It follows the Port of Los Angeles’ $370 million Main Channel Deepening Project, done in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As a result of these improvements, the port’s main channel and turning basins now provide -53-foot depths.

YTI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha. YTI operates marine cargo terminals in Los Angeles and Oakland, providing stevedore and terminal service to container shipping lines. YTI has a long-term lease with the port for operation of the terminal through 2016, and, according to the port, plans to exercise its option to extend the lease through 2026.

The Draft EIS/EIR includes a discussion of the proposed project’s environmental impacts and identifies mitigation measures to reduce these impacts as required under the California Environmental Quality Act.

New Orleans: MSC Judith, Longest Container Ship to Berth at Napoleon Avenue Terminal 

Mediterranean Shipping Company’s 1,200-foot MSC Judith tied the record for the longest container ship to berth in New Orleans when she docked May 3 at Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal.

New Orleans Terminal worked the Panamanian-flagged container ship, which has a capacity of more than 8,000 20-foot-equivalent-units. Though the port has hosted ships with more TEU capacity, MSC Judith is the longest container ship to berth in New Orleans by about 60 feet.

"The arrival of the MSC Judith illustrates the confidence MSC has in the Port of New Orleans to handle the company’s largest container ships," said Port President Gary LaGrange, PPM®. "With our 150-guage gantry cranes installed two years ago, the port has the ability to efficiently work more than 9,000-TEU vessels."

Container carriers serving New Orleans besides MSC are Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, Maersk, ZIM, Seaboard, CSAV and Libra. The terminal’s current throughput capacity of 640,000 TEUs annually will increase to more than 840,000 once construction is complete on the new Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal.

The 1,066-foot-long MSC Judith at Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal.
Photo/Port of New Orleans