On Nov. 17, Broward County’s Port Everglades received three Super Post-Panamax container gantry cranes, the largest of their kind worldwide. The new cranes are part of the port’s $3 billion, 20-Year Master/Vision Plan Update, which will add new cargo berths, expand cruise and energy capacity and improve navigation channels to handle larger ships.

The three 175-foot-high gantry cranes, valued at $13.8 million each, have the ability to handle containers stacked eight high from a ship’s deck and reach 22 containers across the ship’s deck. Port Everglades’ existing seven gantry cranes in the Southport area, where most of the containerized cargo operations take place, are only 151-feet high and limited to containers stacked six high and can reach across 16 containers.

“The state-of-the-art cranes are pivotal to allowing our customers to grow their businesses in Broward County so that they can compete in the global marketplace,” says Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Jonathan Daniels.

“The advantage is that the extended reach of the cranes enables customers to work larger ships and gain economies of scale, thus making Port Everglades more competitive.”