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Monday, February 5, 2007
Container Cranes Offloading on Schedule
Damage from Saturday incident minimal, repairs to be made on site
Update: Cranes in service on schedule 
WILMINGTON, NC – Four new 100-foot gauge container cranes delivered to the Port of Wilmington Saturday will go into service this spring with minimal or possibly no delay. The cranes were damaged in a collision with a dredge on the Cape Fear River near the Port’s docks as they were being delivered.
Engineers for Zhenhua Port Machinery Company, ShawGBB, the Ports’ engineering consultant for the cranes, and the North Carolina State Ports Authority on Sunday completed an initial assessment of damage to the cranes, and decided to proceed with the unloading of the cranes on schedule. The first crane is set to be moved from the Zhen Hua 16, the 788-foot ship that brought them from Shanghai, China, on Wednesday .
The preliminary assessment found all four cranes had sustained damage to metal parts, including catwalks, railings and access platforms, as well as to conduits, lighting and electrical systems. Only one crane sustained more serious damage, to a festoon cable, which is part of the crane’s main operational system. It was determined that all repairs can be made on site during the normal commissioning process, by ZPMC and their subcontractor, using additional, locally available services.
No dollar amount has been assigned to the damage, pending an insurance-company survey. However, the current plan will put the cranes into service at the Port of Wilmington on schedule April 1.
Until the cranes are offloaded and installed on the docks, they remain the property of ZPMC. All insurance and related questions must be answered by ZPMC.
ABOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE PORTS AUTHORITY:
North Carolina's Ports in Wilmington and Morehead City, plus inland terminals in Charlotte and the Piedmont Triad in Greensboro, link the State's consumers, businesses and industry to world markets, and serve as magnets to attract new business and industry while receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy. Port activities contribute statewide to 65,000 jobs and $500 million each year in state and local tax revenues.
Top trading partners are China, India, Brazil, So. Korea, Belgium, Taiwan, Mexico, Colombia, Great Britain and Venezuela.
Primary exports are phosphate, forest products, woodpulp, general merchandise, food products, wood chips and military.
Top imports are sulfur products, chemicals, grains, rubber, scrap metal, cement, metal products, machinery parts, ore, mica and schist.
INFORMATION:
Shannon Moody, Director of Communications (910) 343-6482 Email
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