They stand 442 feet high, weigh 1,600 tons and move with greater efficiency than their predecessors.
Three new gigantic cranes, the tallest in North America, were raised Thursday morning at the Port of Oakland.
Port officials said it took weeks to assemble each of the massive cranes that arrived via tanker ship in December, with the third one just completed last week. The port released a time-lapse video showing the cranes' journey from the time they arrived in the bay to their raising Thursday.
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Each crane's boom in the maintenance position is nearly vertical at 442 feet high, and each one weighs about 1,600 tons, officials said. The boom in its "stowage" position, at a 45-degree angle, is 372 feet high. The lift height of the new cranes above the dock is 174 feet. Officials said with taller cranes there is more flexibility to move the containers on and off a ship.
"These new cranes at Oakland are going to make a significant difference in the ability to handle cargo more efficiently," Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes said in a statement.
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Before they are put to work, the cranes will undergo a series of tests and must be inspected by OSHA. The first of the three cranes could be operational as soon as late March or early April, port officials said.
The giant cranes were constructed in China, by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., and sent on a ship in sections to the Port of Oakland. Longshore workers then rolled the cranes off the vessel, and a whole team of engineers and port workers assembled the cranes on site in what officials called a very complex process.
All Port of Oakland container cranes are powered by electricity, so there are zero local emissions, officials said.
