North Carolina Ports Welcomes New Gantry Crane to the Port of Morehead City

August 10, 2019

Wilmington, N.C. – North Carolina Ports welcomed a new rail-mounted gantry crane to the Port of Morehead City in earlier this month. The crane, manufactured by Liebherr in Germany, was designed with a curve running gear to allow the crane to navigate the berths at Port of Morehead City.

The rectangular design of Morehead City’s terminal required the crane to be ready for operation at all quay edges. To ensure this, the rail-mounted gantry crane was equipped with a special curve running gear. This allows the crane to travel through a 90 degree bend with an inner curve radius of 90 meters.

“The addition of the new LPS 420 rail-mounted gantry crane at the Port of Morehead City represents North Carolina Ports’ commitment to investing in the future and long-term success of the Port, its customers and the North Carolina economy. The new crane will enable us to more efficiently handle a diverse range of cargoes and ultimately better meet customer demand.” said Paul J. Cozza, North Carolina Ports Executive Director

Multi-Purpose Crane

The Port of Morehead City is a breakbulk and bulk facility, is one of the deepest on the United States East Coast, and it’s just four miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the new LPS 420 rail-mounted gantry crane is equipped as a multi-purpose crane and will be used mainly for handling grain and fertilizer. It is also used for various project cargoes, including parts of wind turbines, trains and rails. The crane was shipped fully assembled. Which means, no time-consuming assembly was required on site and the crane was ready for operation shortly after unloading. The arrival of the new crane also marks the first new crane for the Port since 1968.

About North Carolina Ports

North Carolina’s ports in Wilmington and Morehead City and Charlotte Inland Port link the state’s consumers, business and industry to world markets and serve as magnets to attract new business and industry to the State of North Carolina. Port activities contribute statewide to more than 87,700 jobs and $678 million each year in state and local tax revenues.