Two cranes that are twice the size of the ones already in use have arrived in Saint John, making the skyline look decidedly different.

They came from the Port of Charleston in South Carolina and arrived Saturday afternoon after a week on the ocean. The closer it got, so too did the realization of just how large its precious cargo is.

Lisa Mitchell works in logistics for Coca-Cola and is visiting the Port City for a conference, but took a moment to take in the city’s newest addition. She was a bit in awe of the production.

"I was thinking well, how are they going to come? In pieces? In a giant Lego set, kind of put it together? But obviously it's already assembled," says Mitchell.

The two cranes can handle twice what the port's old cranes could – a fact you can likely see when you put the two sets beside one another.

The cranes are just the beginning of a multi-million dollar, multi-year project to expand the Port of Saint John at a cost of $205 million. It's supposed to take until 2021 to complete.

Chairman of the Port Authority Board of Directors Peter Gaulton has been waiting for this day for a while. The cranes, he says, are a sign of good things to come.

“This is very significant investment,” he says. “I'm not talking dollar-wise so much as they impact of this, along with our modernization … they're both very significant."

The cranes are owned and will be operated by DP World, a global trade business. While the harbour's modernization project is being funded by the port and all levels of government, the cranes were bought and paid for by DP World.

But on Saturday, they created quite the spectacle for Saint Johners.

"I'm pretty impressed,” says resident Sarah Craig. “When I heard that they were cranes coming in I thought, you know, like the ones that we see around in the construction skyline. But this is a heck of a lot bigger than I was expecting."

The old cranes, built in the early 70s, will be retired in the spring. The new ones will be now part of the Saint John skyline for the next 30 years.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.