Giant crane arrives on ship from China for use on Kodiak docks

A ship has arrived from China carrying a massive crane that will be used on Kodiak's docks.

The 340-foot tall crane that arrived Thursday will be used by Matson Inc. to load and unload ships, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported (http://bit.ly/1EsZKM3 ).

"It's the biggest container gantry crane in Alaska," Harbormaster Lon White said. "You never fully appreciate it until you see it in real life."

The crane has been attracting sightseers to the harbor area. Kodiak police even had to issue an advisory asking people not to stop in certain areas to get a look or take pictures of the crane.

The crane stands almost 250 feet above the deck of the ship and has an overhang of 130 feet on each side. "So the ship is occupying water space of 350-foot wide by 750-foot long," White said.

The ship carrying the crane took 19 days to sail from China.

The $10 million crane is part of Matson's investment to improve its Alaska operations, said Matson consultant Marion Davis. In May, Matson closed on its acquisition of Horizon Lines, Inc., taking over all of its non-Hawaii business for $469 million.

It will be taken off the ship over the weekend.

The crane will be capable of lifting loads up to 60 feet long and weighing up to 145,000 pounds, White said.

The crane will become the centerpiece of Kodiak's dock, which was built using $33 million in state funds, Davis said.

"It's pretty special to see it arrive," said former Harbormaster Marty Owen. "It's pretty gratifying to see something like that come to fruition."

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Information from: Kodiak (Alaska) Daily Mirror, http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com