The Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT), a tenant of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, will take delivery this month of three super-post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes as part of a multi-million dollar facility expansion initiative.
New York/New Jersey: Port Newark Container Terminal Gears Up for Super Post-Panamax Cranes
The Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) will take delivery this month of three super-post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes, each with a 65-ton twin 20-foot lifting capacity and capable of spanning 22 container rows. Due for commissioning by late August/early September, the Chinese-made cranes will be able to work container vessels with a maximum capacity in excess of 14,000 TEUs.
Located on the Newark Bay, PNCT occupies 259 acres (300 acres with expansion), and handles more than 600,000 containers annually. PNCT has a 20-year option extension of its lease agreement with the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, which continues through 2050. PNCT is a joint venture of Ports America.
In addition to the cranes, PNCT is undergoing major improvements, including the development of additional acreage, deepening the berths, strengthening the docks, expanding the queuing area and upgrading capital equipment. PNCT has completed the upgrade of its entire fleet of container-handling equipment. As one of the largest infrastructure projects in New Jersey, PNCT is investing more than $500 million in its expansion before the year 2030.
The port authority will invest an additional amount of up to $100 million in improvements to the PNCT facility. This includes expanding Port Newark Container Terminal’s ExpressRail facility from its current two loading tracks to four, giving the terminal the ability to handle 250,000 rail boxes per year. The additional 5,000 feet of rail track and resulting capacity will enable PNCT to service both major East Coast Class 1 railroads. The project is scheduled to be fully completed by April 2015.
PNCT also has taken delivery of three new rail-specified, rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes as part of the next phase of the terminal’s on-dock rail yard expansion, a change from its current reach-stacker operation. The ongoing rail yard expansion includes the doubling of rail track to 10,000 feet, which will be completed this summer, and the completion of a flyover bridge (see photo). This 543-foot-long crossing allows cargo containers to be quickly and efficiently moved from the dock to ExpressRail Port Newark, which transports more than 100,000 containers by rail annually.