By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

THE long awaited mobile harbor crane for the Port Authority of Guam finally arrived yesterday, ensuring that cargo handling at the port would continue to improve.
The 10-ton mobile harbor crane, purchased from the Jurang port in Singapore, arrived onboard the MV Atlant Svenga, a heavy lift ship especially chartered to bring in the crane.
The mobile crane was purchased by PAG for $3.6 million and will be used as an interim replacement for Gantry Crane 1, which was decommissioned by the port last March.
According to PAG general manager Joseph Duenas, the mobile crane will alleviate some of the stress caused when Gantry 1 was taken offline last year.
“The mobile crane will improve efficiency at the port,” Duenas said.
PAG public information officer Mike Henderson said that depending on wind conditions, the port expects the mobile crane to be fully offloaded by today.
After the off-loading, the mobile crane will be reassembled by the vendor Mid Pac Far East and crane manufacturer Leibherr.
Henderson assured that cargo handling operations will not be disrupted by the reassembly because the port has set aside a special staging area for the work.
“Also, the fact that the crane arrived on a Sunday was perfect for us because the port is not usually too busy during Sundays and Mondays,” Henderson said.
The reassembly will take approximately seven days with an official ribbon-cutting tentatively set for Feb. 19.
“This crane acquisition is the result of the close collaboration between the shipping industry and PAG. It has been a priority of the governor and PAG board so we’re glad that it’s finally here,” Duenas said.
The mobile crane was supposed to arrive on Guam last December but Henderson said shipping was delayed because of bad weather and the difficulty of finding a specialized ship that could handle the transport of the mobile crane to Guam.
Under the terms of PAG’s contract, shipping delays could be penalized and the port can levy “liquidated damage” against the vendor.
Because of the delay, PAG now stands to collect $81,000 from the vendor.
According to Henderson, PAG employees will receive specialized training from Mid Pac Far East and crane manufacturer Leibherr on how to operate the mobile crane.
The acquisition of the mobile crane is just one measure that PAG has initiated to replace its aging gantry cranes.
The port authority is also in the process of re-issuing a “multi-step” bid to get a new gantry crane.
PAG decided to restart the bidding process after a procurement protest was lodged by one of the companies participating in the bid.
According to Henderson, the re-issued invitation to bid for the port’s new gantry crane is still open, with the new deadline now set for Feb. 23.