A new gantry crane, capable of lifting loads up to 145,000 pounds, is being placed in Kodiak. Matson Inc. -- which bought Horizon Lines for $469 million in May -- said the crane will help the company load and offload its large container ships.
More than 340 feet tall, with a boom spanning 164 feet, Matson believes the crane is the largest of its kind in Alaska. A release from the company said the crane would operate entirely free from fossil fuels by utilizing a flywheel energy recapture system and relying on local hydro and solar electric generation.
The new crane replaces one that is approximately half its size. Matson representatives said the crane would help the company offload its large D-7 container ships, which are about 710 feet long. The crane is also expected to be able to handle expanded trade and bigger ships.
"If other vessels were introduced into the trade, moving forward, they would be undoubtedly larger, particularly wider," Matson Spokeswoman Marion Davis said. "We want to be sure that whatever vessel comes here, (we'll) be able to work it properly."
The process of installing and testing the crane is expected to take up to two months.