New cranes in Saint John to double port capacity

The arrival of two new cranes in Saint John, N.B. is changing the city’s skyline and doubling the port’s capacity.

The two super post-Panamax cranes, each worth about $25 million, landed in Saint John on Friday night after leaving Charleston, South Carolina on Jan. 22.

“We’re so proud, we’ve now doubled our capacity from two cranes to four,” said Port Saint John CEO Craig Estabrooks, on Saturday.

The two new cranes stand 115 metres tall, about 30 metres taller than the port’s other two cranes (all operated by DP World).

The new cranes are part of a multi-year modernization project at Port Saint John, and includes a new pier.

“What we’ve created with modernization, with the new pier, is being able to berth two container ship simultaneously,” says Estabrooks. “We’ve gone from 125,000 twenty-foot equivalent container capacity to 325,000.”

Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon said the new cranes will further position the port as a key competitor on the Atlantic coast.

“It’s a huge opportunity and way to advance business in Saint John, so to watch them floating in last night was pretty impressive,” said Reardon.

The two cranes are expected to be ready for operation this spring.