US port of Baltimore receives six new cranes to cope with rising volumes

THE US port of Baltimore has added six rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes to better handle volume growth. The new cranes cost a total of US$12 million and each weigh 325,000 pounds.

The cranes were purchased by the operators of the Seagirt terminal, Ports America Chesapeake, and will add to the 16 already in service, reported London's Container Management.

Since the expanded Panama Canal opened in 2016, the port has recorded double-digit growth. In 2017 the port's throughput increased by 11 per cent to 600,000 TEU, making the port the fourth fastest-growing in North America.

Last year the Maryland Port Administration purchased 70 acres of land adjacent to the Seagirt terminal to accommodate the expanding container segment.