As Port Canaveral officials watched the arrival of port’s two new cargo cranes, they hoped they also were witnessing a turning point in their relatively small cargo business.
By acquiring the ship-to-shore cranes, Port Canaveral is stepping up its game in the fierce competition for cargo business, according to Alberto Cabrera, the port’s recently hired senior director of cargo business development.
Cabrera, who previously was a top cargo executive at the cargo-heavy Port of Jacksonville, said, without ship-to-shore cranes, Port Canaveral “was not on the radar” with many shipping companies and was not considered a serious player in the cargo business. In contrast, Canaveral is one of the world’s three busiest cruise ports, along with Port of Miami and Port Everglades.
Port Canaveral officials say the crane project is budgeted for $3.5 million, including acquisition of the cranes, design work, transportation of the cranes to Port Canaveral and upgrades to the cranes.
A skilled crane operator can unload 30 to 40 cargo containers from a cargo ship every hour, saving time and money for the shippers, Cabrera said.
“When you don’t have cranes in the air, you’re not a competitor” for cargo, Cabrera said.
The arrival of the 273-foot-tall cranes are the first piece of the puzzle that port officials hope will make Port Canaveral not only a player, but a star, in cargo.
Others include:
• Anticipated completion in April of a new $37 million cargo pier complex.The cranes, which previously were used at the Port of Savannah in Georgia, will be set up at that site, and, after upgrading, will go into operation this fall.
via Gigantic cranes to give Port Canaveral a lift | FLORIDA TODAY | floridatoday.com.
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