|
|||
|
Balboa takes on a new look ... |
|
... as container cranes are installed at the new port facility |
|
Looking towards the Port Captain's Building with Admin Building in background. Original Pier 18 can be seen just to the left of the yellow crane boom. |
|
Land fill
between Pier 16 and Pier 18 still has not been leveled off and paved for the container
storage area. |
|
Welldeck of the vessel
allows for three of these large cranes to be transported. Up to four of the
smaller cranes can fit in the welldeck. Note the gap under the crane, there is about
two feet of crawl space. The crane is literally suspended and is hanging on special
brackets that sit on the rail system on the edge of the welldeck. |
|
Outer set
of wheels have been rotated onto operation rails. Note the opposite side wheels are
still on the temporary offloading track. |
|
Orange
crossmembers are for rigidity while vessel is underway. They will be removed by Panama Ports Company prior to operating. |
|
Well deck
and bow are open to the sea, Master informed me that they do watch the weather closely and divert around rough seas and weather. |
|
Another view of the crossmembers |
|
Grey
bracket attached to blue crane structure is what the crane is resting on the track with. |
|
Block and tackle used by
winches to pull crane out towards the bow of the ship for offloading. |
|
Rail running the length of the upper edge of well deck can be seen with grease preperation. The cranes are then dragged off the ship. |
|
Extension of the bow
overhangs the dock and the cranes are slid up to within ten feet of the end of the rail. Note padmount down below. When delivering three large cranes, one end of the forwardmost crane rest down on the pad mount. |
|
A closer
look at the temporary offloading rails that are used. |
|
One of four
winches used in the dragging and offloading operation. Two winches are used on each side of crane for pulling back and forth should the crane hang up on the loading or offloading operation. |
Photographs by El Seņor Jim |
|
