One of the giant cranes currently installed at the port of Tripoli.
BEIRUT — The northern Lebanese port of Tripoli is gearing up to receive a third giant crane sometime between Christmas and New Years, despite heightened tensions in the country and the region, particularly due to the conflict in Gaza. Sources from the port's management familiar with the matter confirmed the receipt of the third Ship To Shore (STS) crane to L'Orient-Le Jour on Tuesday, requesting anonymity.
Standing several-dozen meters tall, the STS crane, once installed, will transfer cargo containers between ships and the dock. Along with the giant crane, five smaller mobile cranes, which will relocate the unloaded containers to storage areas, are also set to be delivered. These pieces of equipment were ordered from Qingdao Haixi Heavy-duty Machinery (HHMC), a public enterprise under the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), which specializes in the design and construction of such machinery.
While there has been no official communication on the total investment and specific details of the order, estimates from various online sources, including the Belgian market leader Gantrex, suggest the price of an STS crane is around $10 million. However, according to a commercial agent familiar with the deal, the contract's value is approximately $20 million.
In 2021, CMA CGM bought out the previous operator managing the Tripoli port container terminal, acquiring a partnership. In 2017, that original operator, Gultainer Lebanon, deployed the first two giant cranes at Tripoli's container terminal, which has a dock depth of about 15 meters, slightly less than that of Beirut. The capital's container terminal, also operated by CMA CGM since 2022, has 16 cranes of this kind.
Once the crane is operational, which theoretically should take between 30 to 45 days according to the operator, Tripoli's port will boast three giant cranes and nine mobile cranes. The equipment is currently en route from the Chinese port of Qingdao aboard the vessel Hua Xing Long. Per the real-time maritime traffic site marinetraffic.com, the ship began its journey on Oct. 22 and is expected to arrive on Dec. 26.
Neither CMA CGM nor the Tripoli port have released any statements regarding this delivery.
This article was originally published in French on L'Orient-le Jour. Translated to English by Amelia Hankins.