HALIFAX -- On Monday, the arrival of the Zhen Hua 29 cargo ship in the Halifax Harbour created quite the spectacle. With many sharing and taking photos of the grand vessel, it was a sight to see as it dropped off a useful piece of industrial equipment – a new Super Post-Panamax crane, which many say is a game-changer.
"Well, it's a monster," says Don LeBlanc. "I believe it's the biggest one on the East Coast of North America – it's going to be interesting how they get it off the vessel."
The appearance of the cargo ship has been much anticipated in the nautical and shipping communities of the region – it's not every day some of the world's biggest cranes are in one place.
Amateur photographer, Brian Gomes, paid a visit to Point Pleasant Park, specifically to get some shots of the ship.
"I ran into another gentleman, just further up, who was also taking pictures," says Gomes. "The first thing he said to me was 'can you believe the size?'"
Monday's delivery is all part of an ongoing expansion project for PSA Halifax, a container terminal formerly known as Halterm Container Terminal. Eighteen months and millions of dollars have been spent to keep the facility competitive in an increasingly tight market.
Officials note ships are becoming larger as companies merge. Halifax already has plenty of deep water and can move plenty of cargo with its cranes – but there will soon be even more.
"The existing ones are very large, but this new one that's coming in is even bigger – which gives Halifax the ability to serve even larger container ships," says Port of Halifax spokesperson, Lane Farguson.
The large red crane will be unloaded on the dockyard over the course of a few days, following its long journey that began in Shanghai at the end of April.
"They schedule the delivery of these cranes all around the world," says LeBlanc. "One's going to France, and two are going to Algeria."
Meanwhile, shipping blogger Mac MacKay says Halifax must stay competitive, especially U.S. ports improve their facilities.
