Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

Konecranes has won a contract from the US Navy to deliver a 175 T portal jib crane to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in the State of Washington. The USD46 million order was booked in December and contains options for six additional portal jib cranes over the next seven years. If realised, the total value of the agreement would be around USD330 million. The crane to be provided is a Konecranes tailor-made design, with features that allow it to operate on the multiple rail section sizes, straight or curved, located at the naval base. The portal jib crane is also designed to minimise wheel loads while operating at maximum capacity through the maximum operating range with Konecranes' unique dynamic stability system. This design of crane is tailored to the historical shipyard layouts of the US Navy, but could be used globally in other naval shipyards with similar configurations. "This contract is a testament to past performance as well as our ability to meet customer needs under the most demanding circumstances, and it underscores the confidence customers like the US Navy have in Konecranes to deliver this unique product," says Steven Waisanen, vice president in industrial equipment at Konecranes. Originally established in 1891 as a naval station, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard today provides longer-term, full-service maintenance and inactivation/recycling work on surface ships and submarines, utilising six drydocks and adjacent piers. The site is the Pacific Northwest's largest naval shore facility and one of Washington state's largest industrial installations.