Increasing Lift Height and Improving Ship to Shore Gantry Cranes inside an Active Container Yard

In preparation for larger New Panamax container vessels at the Wando Welch Terminal (WWT), and in conjunction with the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project, the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) embarked on a project to increase the container lift height of four existing ship-to-shore (STS) Gantry cranes in Mt. Pleasant, SC. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of the methods used to accomplish the STS crane improvements in an active container yard instead of the traditional on-wharf location. The case study discussion will include the identified construction challenges and risks along with lessons learned from the coordination efforts with operations, the outcome of the field measurements of the raised STS Gantry crane performance, the importance of a well-defined performance specification for future STS Gantry crane raising projects, and the capital cost and schedule impacts when compared to the purchase of a new crane.