'We're seeing the revitalization of our port': Two more container cranes arrive in Saint John

It appears Christmas has come early for Port Saint John.

After sitting on the harbour’s edge for much of the day, a pair of shipping container cranes finally floated into the harbour after 11 p.m. Friday, after making the long journey from the Port of Virginia.

Like the four cranes already on Port Saint John property, DP World will operate the new cranes. The goal is to have them in operation in early 2025.

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“We're seeing the revitalization of our port,” says Port Saint John president and CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks. “We're seeing people working on the waterfront in ways that we haven't for a long time, and we're seeing the vibrancy of the city return as well.”

First announced in September, the new cranes will be able to service ships with a capacity above 10,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit). They will also boost the port's operating capacity by over 50 per cent.

The cranes have an outreach of 65 metres and the ability to reach up to 24 containers wide (the four existing cranes can only reach 21 containers wide). They also have a lift height of 40.4 metres – an increase of 5.4 metres from the existing cranes.

New container cranes aboard the Seaway Albatross are pushed into place in Saint John, N.B., on Nov. 29, 2024. (Port Saint John)

The bigger cranes will allow for larger ships to load and unload in the Saint John port. Given the cranes’ setup along the water, four cranes will be able to work on one ship at the same time, while the other two cranes will be able to work with smaller vessels.

Despite the late arrival with the tides needing to be just right, residents lined the harbourfront to catch a glimpse of the new arrivals to the port. As of Tuesday afternoon, the cranes remained welded to the vessel they sailed in on. They will be moved onto the port property in the coming days.

DP World Canada Inc. CEO Douglas Smith says the excitement surrounding the new cranes arriving in Saint John is unlike anywhere else in the country. He believes there is a long runway for growth at the Saint John Port and looks forward to being a part of it.

"I see Saint John as the uncut gem," Smith says. "It has the deep water that the rest of the East Coast doesn't really have down south of us. It has three Class 1 carrier railroads and access in so many different directions and a community that wants to support it and see it grow."

Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon says it was a treat for residents to see the cranes come into port Friday night. She is excited for the economic spinoff caused by the additional cranes for her city.

“I think it is a tourist attraction in a lot of ways,” says the mayor, pointing out the newly completed Harbour Passage extension, which has numerous seating options for residents to watch the cranes load and unload ships.

“(People) will be able to watch them work, and you'll hear it. It's fantastic and I think it is a real attraction.”

The port received its first set of cranes in 2017, with little action happening around the harbour at that time. Bell Estabrooks points to how far the port has come since then, highlighting partnerships with DP World, NBM Railway, and JD Irving as key contributors to their growth.

He believes this is only the beginning of the port’s true growth journey.

“All of the investments in the work that's happening across all of these different companies to me signals that our momentum is strong,” Bell Estabrooks believes.

“If you're sitting a decade from now looking back at this moment, this is going to be the moment that we've really turned the corner and we're off to the races.”

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