The Port of New Orleans is spending $55 million in preparation for installing four new ship-to-shore cranes that will expand its annual handling capacity by 20%, the Journal of Commerce reports.
Orion Industrial Construction LLC will repair wharf substructure piles, demolish a warehouse, and extend the landside crane rail at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal, the publication reports. The four 100-foot cranes are expected to arrive at the end of 2020 and will improve the terminal’s efficiency in loading and unloading cargo.
The contract is the largest to date awarded in the ongoing $110 million expansion project at the port’s sole container terminal, which will increase its capacity from 840,000 TEU to about 1 million TEU, with completion expected by the end of 2020. The port is also process of negotiating with Ports America a 50-year extension to the operator’s lease on the terminal.
Additionally, the port is mulling whether to build an additional terminal, which could handle vessels of 12,000 TEU or larger. A decision on how that plan will move forward is expected by the end of 2020.
