Skip to about the middle on both videos to see the ship passing.
New Castle – After a 90-day journey from the Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Company in Shanghai, China, two new enormous cranes will pass under the Delaware Memorial Bridge, early Saturday morning, bound for The Port of Philadelphia. The “super-post-Panamax” cranes, ordered as part of the ports $300 million Port Development Plan, are believed to cost roughly $12 million each.
Officials have ordered a total of four of the new cranes, the first two cranes (the Holt crane and one PhilaPort crane) will pass under the bridge tomorrow morning, sometime between 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Then, cranes #3 and #4 (both PhilaPort cranes) are expected to arrive in April 2019.
“The second set of cranes will mirror the two cranes…,” said PhilaPort CEO Jeff Theobald. “These new cranes will be the largest and most modern, capable of unloading containers from the largest container ships in the world.”
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Early Saturday morning, March 24, the ZHEN HUA 16, a heavy lift vessel transporting new ship-to-shore (STS) cranes will be navigating beneath the spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, according to Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) Spokesman, James Salmon.
Salmon said as a precaution and to eliminate driver distraction, the Delaware Memorial Bridge, both northbound and southbound, will be temporarily closed to all traffic for a period of approximately 30 minutes while the ship travels north to Philadelphia. Traffic delays are expected and motorists should plan accordingly.
The distance from the water level to the top of the cranes aboard the ZHEN HUA 16 is 188 feet, 5 inches. Due to tides levels and the Delaware Memorial Bridge’s measured clearances, the vessel must travel under the spans during the period of low tide.
The vessel is expected to clear the bridge with only a 4 and 9 foot clearance, at low tide. This will be the tallest cargo load ever to pass under the Delaware Memorial Bridge, according to Salmon.
Both spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge will reopen to traffic once the ZHEN HUA 16 clears the structures. The cranes will then have to pass under the Commodore Barry Bridge on its way to PhilaPort’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.
If you miss the ship passing under the bridge you can catch up with it in Philly.
WHEN:
Saturday, March 24, 2018
The best window of opportunity for viewing the vessel [Zhen Hua 16] transit down the Delaware River from anchor at the Mantua Creek Anchorage [adjacent to the Philadelphia International Airport] will be between 12:30 P.M. – 2:30 P.M., according to officials with the Port of Philadelphia.
The vessel is expected to dock at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal at approximately 2:30 P.M. Saturday afternoon.
WHERE:
The Delaware River from the Mantua Creek Anchorage [adjacent to the Philadelphia International Airport] to the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, Philadelphia*
Places you could possibly catch a glimpse of the vessel as it sails up the river
Here are a few ideas of locations on both the PA and NJ sides of the River:
Red Bank Battlefield Park (NJ), 100 Hessian Ave, National Park, NJ 08063
The Riverfront Greenway at The Philadelphia Navy Yard (PHL), 1121 Admiral Peary Way, Philadelphia, PA 19112
The Dry Dock at The Philadelphia Navy Yard (PHL), 7 S 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19112
Proprietors Park (NJ), 225 South King Street, Gloucester City, NJ 08030
Freedom Pier (NJ), 100 Monmouth St, Gloucester City, NJ 08030
The ZHEN HUA 16 is currently anchored in the Delaware Bay just off of Lewes.
Approximately 45,000 vehicles pass over the Delaware Memorial Bridge daily.
To see images of the boat and to track its journey click here.
More shipments of similar height are expected in the coming years, added Salmon.