The Port Authority of Guam reported that high winds on Friday night caused Gantry Crane 6 to become dislodged from its secured position and travel approximately 1,000 feet along the crane rail system before striking Gantry Cranes 5 and 4, pushing all three units several hundred feet further along the dock. The port confirmed that wind gauges on the cranes recorded gusts of 100 mph at the time of the incident, though Guam was not under a tropical storm watch or warning and forecasts had only called for gusts up to 50 mph. No injuries were reported, but as of Saturday none of the three gantry cranes were operational: Crane 6 remains off the rails and secured, Crane 5 has one wheel off the rails, while Crane 4 remains on the rails and retains power, making it the most likely candidate for a swift return to service.
General Manager Rory J. Respicio briefed Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, the Port Authority of Guam Board of Directors, the Legislature’s oversight committee and the U.S. Coast Guard on the incident and the port’s initial response. Recovery efforts resumed over the weekend, with contractor Smithbridge scheduled to use two mobile cranes to lift Gantry Crane 6 back onto its rail system and reposition Crane 5 to clear the vessel operating area, while mechanics continue inspections to determine what repairs are needed to safely restore each unit to service. The outage of all three cranes threatens to disrupt container handling at Guam’s main commercial port, a critical logistics hub supporting both civilian supply chains and U.S. military operations in the Western Pacific.
Source: KANDIT News Group — https://kanditnews.com/seaports-3-cranes-down-restoration-effort-ongoing/
Tags: Port of Guam, Port Infrastructure, Pacific Shipping, Crane Incident
