Four super post Panamax cranes on way to Garden City Terminal . Photo courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority.

Konecranes has supplied four super post Panamax cranes to Garden City Terminal at the Port of Savannah on the US east coast.

After taking delivery of the cranes, the terminal now has the largest fleet of ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at any one terminal in the country. According to Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) which operates the Port of Savannah, the cranes are "the largest of their kind anywhere in the world".

Doug Marchand, executive director for the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), says the cranes are 20% larger and have hoist speeds almost 50% faster than existing cranes in service at the Port of Savannah. "They will not only help us move more cargo faster than ever before, but they will allow GPA to continue growing faster than any container port in the US.

"The new additions to our fleet will reduce operating costs, increase flexibility and efficiencies for our customers."

Each crane weighs 1,369 tons, is 425 feet (129m) long, and rises 590 feet (180m) above the water. Super post Panamax cranes can handle cargo on vessels 22 containers wide or more.

The cranes will be used to increase the port's capacity to 6.5m TEUs by 2018 - double its current capacity.

"These preparations will ensure that when the economy does turn around, our rebound will be that much greater," says Marchand.

Wilson Tillotson, GPA's director of engineering and maintenance, says the cranes are energy-efficient and will be powered solely by electricity. "The cranes will generate more than 30% of their total energy requirements by tapping into the power of gravity and kinetic energy. For every one hour each of these cranes is operational, it uses its own power for approximately 18 minutes."