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New cranes arrive at APM Terminals Elizabeth
APM Terminals Elizabeth took delivery of four of the newest generation gantry cranes to better serve liner customers deploying larger ships. The cranes reach 23 containers across the vessel beam – equivalent to two thirds the width of a football field – and are part of the facility’s USD $200 million infrastructure investment plan scheduled for completion this year.
“We are proud to offer our liner customers and landside customers this new service capability, increased productivity and deeper water depth, said APM Terminals North America CEO Wim Lagaay, who noted “The completion of the dredging six months ahead of schedule was made possible by the dedication and proactivity of the Port Authority of NY & NJ working with Federal and State agencies, as well as other stakeholders to secure all the permits and contracts in record time. This will result in more berthing capacity for our liner customers at a time when cargo volumes continue to increase.”
“The multibillion dollar program to deepen our port channels to 50 feet, coupled with the raising of the Bayonne Bridge, has ensured that our port is ready to handle the biggest ships now calling on the East Coast,” said Port Authority Port Director Molly Campbell. “The arrival of these new cranes is further evidence that our terminal operators are confident on the port’s bright future and willing to invest in it.”
The ongoing modernization plan for APM Terminals Elizabeth includes reinforcing berths which have been dredged to 50 feet (15.25 meters) to handle the larger vessels.
Another key benefit for landside customers will be the new, modernized gate facility for truckers to enter and exit safely and efficiently. The new, inbound gate complex offers 24 lanes fully-equipped with optical character recognition (OCR), radio frequency identification (RFID) and global positioning (GPS) systems to help truckers find containers easier, closed circuit TV (CCTV) for security, and weigh-in-motion (WIM) scales to help truckers do more business every day through shorter turn times at the terminal. The enhanced system and capacity is designed to make American supply chains more competitive for end users and easier to use for truckers.
In 2017, the Port of NY & NJ handled a combined 6.7 million TEUs, with APM Terminals Elizabeth accounting for 1.43 million TEUs, or 21% of the port’s container volume.