“Cargo ships are getting larger and several shipping lines already coming to Port Everglades from Europe and South America need Super Post-Panamax cranes now. The longer we wait, the higher the price, in addition to increasing our chances of losing important business,” said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steve Cernak. “We cannot afford to wait until our harbor deepening and widening project is completed because the cranes are needed now.”
The three new cranes will be specially constructed by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. Inc. (ZPMC) to meet federal height restrictions due to the seaport’s proximity to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The new low-profile cranes will have the ability to handle containers stacked eight units high and reach across 22 containers on a ship’s decks. Port Everglades’ existing seven gantry cranes in the Southport area, where the majority of the Port’s containerized cargo handling takes place, are limited to containers stacked five units high and can reach out across 16 containers on a ship’s deck.
The Port Everglades Department is a self-supporting Enterprise Fund of Broward County, Florida government with operating revenues of more than $163 million in Fiscal Year 2016 (October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016). It does not rely on local tax dollars for operations.
At the crossroads of north-south and east-west trade, Broward County’s Port Everglades is Florida’s leading container port, handling more than one million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, the industry standard measurement for container volumes) and serving as a gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Located within the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach, Florida, Port Everglades is in the heart of one of the world’s largest consumer regions, including a constant flow of approximately 112.8 million visitors statewide and 6 million residents within an 80-mile radius. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system and the Florida East Coast Railway’s 43-acre intermodal container transfer facility, and is closer to the Atlantic Shipping Lanes than any other Southeastern U.S. port. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion ensure that Port Everglades continues to handle future growth in container traffic. A world-class cargo handling facility, Port Everglades serves as an ideal point of entry and departure for products shipped around the world.
