IN Brief:
- Gantry Crane 5 passed a load test and received conditional certification on 20 October following damage earlier in the month.
- All three ship-to-shore gantry cranes can now handle cargo, but Crane 5 remains restricted in its movement along dock rails.
- The third-crane milestone follows the earlier return of Crane 4 on 5 October and Crane 6 on 14 October.
The Port Authority of Guam has returned its third damaged gantry crane to cargo operations after Gantry Crane 5 passed a load test and received conditional certification. The approval announced on 20 October allows the crane to load and discharge vessels while repairs continue, restoring the availability of all three principal ship-to-shore units after an early-October collision. It does not mean the final crane has recovered its full movement capability.
Gantry Crane 5 can lift containers, but it cannot yet travel independently along the dock rails. Port workers can reposition the unit manually while mechanics replace motors required for normal travel. The restriction separates lifting capacity from operational flexibility: a crane can be technically available for a vessel while still requiring more preparation to shift between working positions or accommodate changes to a ship’s cargo plan.
The recovery follows a wind incident on 2 October when Gantry Crane 6 broke free from its secured position and travelled along the quay, striking Cranes 5 and 4. The collision temporarily removed the port’s main shore-based container cranes from service. Crane 4 returned to operations on 5 October, followed by Crane 6 on 14 October after repairs, load testing and recertification. The latest approval covers the remaining Crane 5 and therefore adds a new operational milestone beyond the previous return of the second crane.
Hawaii-based Doc Bailey Cranes & Equipment has undertaken inspection and recertification work, with the final repairs needed before Crane 5 can obtain unrestricted certification. Conditional certification permits specified lifting duties while preserving restrictions on the crane’s travel. Handling work can resume within the constraints of the test and approval, while full travel capability remains dependent on repairing, inspecting and verifying the remaining mechanical components.
Crane availability governs the rate at which a container vessel can be worked, but the number of cranes in service does not translate directly into a matching increase in throughput. The crane’s reach, its position along the berth, crew assignments, vessel stowage and the availability of yard transport all affect lifts per hour. An additional lifting unit can remove a significant bottleneck, yet the travel limitation on Crane 5 means it may not offer the same flexibility as an unrestricted crane.
The port maintained some cargo handling during the disruption by using available shore equipment, ships’ own lifting gear and supplementary mobile cranes. Such temporary arrangements can keep essential goods moving, but they change the handling sequence and may extend the time needed to finish a vessel. Restoration of the primary gantry equipment reduces dependence on workarounds and gives terminal staff more options when allocating equipment across vessel calls.
Certification of the lifting mechanism and repair of the crane’s rail travel system are separate steps. A load test establishes that the equipment can handle cargo under the tested conditions; the unfinished travel motors still affect how the crane can be positioned along the quay. Port operations must coordinate vessel berth allocation, labour and yard vehicles around that restriction while repair work continues. The authority has not announced a date for unrestricted travel certification.
Guam’s heavy dependence on imported supplies makes berth productivity and vessel turnaround operational concerns beyond the terminal itself. Delays to container handling can influence when goods reach warehouses and distributors, especially where alternatives to seaborne freight are limited. Returning Crane 5 increases the equipment available to work incoming ships, although it does not establish that all delayed cargo has cleared or that schedules have returned to their previous pattern.
The 2 October collision remains subject to review. The authority previously referred the event to its Accident Review Board, with supporting materials also provided to the authority’s board and the US Coast Guard Captain of the Port. Repairing the cranes restores service capacity, while the investigation addresses how the equipment became unsecured and what operational precautions may be required to reduce the risk of recurrence.
All three cranes can now participate in cargo operations, although equipment planning must still account for Crane 5’s restricted rail movement and the remaining motor work. Until unrestricted certification is obtained, berth managers may need to allocate lifting tasks around the crane’s available positions and ensure that manual repositioning does not interrupt other quayside movements. The remaining motor replacement and unrestricted certification will determine when Crane 5 regains the same positioning capability as the other two gantry cranes. Cargo lifting has resumed on all three units, but the final step in fleet recovery has not yet been completed.
