It’s no secret that Crowley is making infrastructure improvements to its Isla Grande Terminal as part of a $550 million investment in the company’s Puerto Rico services. Of importance are three ship-to-shore container cranes, which will be used to load and unload containerized cargo carried aboard Crowley’s two new, Commitment Class combination container/Roll-On Roll-Off (ConRo) ships, powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The 65-meters tall Liebherr container cranes are some of the most technically advanced, ship-to-shore gantries in operation nearly anywhere today. 

What still may be a secret to you, however, is how Crowley can offer maximum container loading and unloading efficiency, while turning cargo for customers faster than other carriers. The reason is due in large part to these nine smart innovations Crowley is incorporating in the terminal upgrades:

Photo: The first Crowley container is lifted by new cranes from the barge.
In late June, Crowley celebrated the arrival of the first vessel to call at its newly constructed pier at Isla Grande in Puerto Rico – the Crowley-towed container barge 455-4. The occasion allowed Crowley to put its three new container cranes and equipment to work for the very first time, and both operators and cranes performed well.

Crowley continues to make great progress in the transformational upgrades now underway at the company's Isla Grande Terminal in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In addition to achieving safety certifications from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the company is pleased to report that all three of the new gantry cranes, which have been designed to serve the company's liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ConRo ships, which are under construction, have passed their required endurance tests. As shown in the video clip above, endurance testing simulates 12 hours of continuous cargo-handling maneuvers to prove that the cranes' systems, technology and equipment are in safe and good working order before operations begin.