New Container Terminal Has Most Modern Paceco Gantry Crane In Alaska

The only modern gantry crane in the Aleutian Islands is now in service at the new $15-million container shipping terminal just completed at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, by American President Lines (APL).

Local, state, and company officials were on hand for recent dedication ceremonies for the new facility, which will be the transportation center for the Bering Sea's thriving seafood processing industry. In port was APL's containership the President Jefferson, which will carry processed frozen containerized king crab to Japan and other Far East markets.

The company has the capability of calling at Dutch Harbor and Kodiak weekly, in conjunction with its regular trans-Pacific containership service out of Seattle via the great circle route.

The new Paceco crane reflects APL's firm commitment to the trade, said Douglas A. Pfaff, managing director of the company's P a c i f i c N o r t h w e s t region. The crane has a lift capacity of 40 tons, and was built and installed at a cost of some $3.5 million. The terminal also features a 260-foot pier and a seven-acre container yard. Included are outlets for 113 refrigerated containers, so vital to the trade, and an independent power source.

The fish-shipping seasons in the A l e u t i a n s include tanner crab from February through May, salmon from mid-June through July, and king crab from mid-September through October. The company anticipates that the new terminal will also help stimulate development of a bottom-fishing industry.

Mr. Pfaff said APL's service out of Dutch Harbor is fast—only six days to Japan. The Pacesetter- class vessels, which cruise at service speeds of 22 knots, each carry up to 150 forty-foot refrigerated containers. "Cargo space is readily available," Mr. Pfaff said.

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First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.