The United States will spend USD20 billion replacing Chinese ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes believed to be a cybersecurity risk.

Cranes manufactured by China’s state-owned Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC) account for nearly 80% of the lifting equipment used at US ports, Newsweek reports, citing official estimates.

Under an executive order signed by US President Joe Biden, port operators with ZPMC cranes will be asked to take action to fortify the cranes against cyber-attacks.

The US Coast Guard has also been given extra powers to address maritime cybersecurity threats.  

“America’s prosperity is directly linked to maritime trade and the integrated network of ports, terminals, vessels, waterways and land-side connections that constitute the nation’s marine transportation system,” the White House says in a statement.

“This complex system supports USD5.4 trillion worth of economic activity each year, contributes to the employment of more than 31 million Americans, and supports nearly 95% of cargo entering the US.”

As part of the initiative, Paceco Corp, a US-based subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsui, will begin manufacturing STS cranes in the US.

The White House says Paceco manufactured the first dedicated STS container crane in the US in 1958 but ceased production in the late 1980s.

In April last year, South Korea announced it would inspect all Chinese-supplied cranes after the US government warned that cranes built by ZPMC may be used for espionage purposes.