Antigua port adds dual‑crane lift
Antigua’s Deepwater Harbour installed a dual crane system to boost cargo efficiency — a tangible port upgrade that should speed container moves and benefit feeder and project cargo into the eastern Caribbean. Improved handling capacity can shorten dwell times for island imports. (x.com)
The new unit is a Liebherr LHM 420 mobile harbour crane procured for the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority and reported at roughly US$6.2 million (locally quoted as XCD$15 million). (antigua.news) The crane arrived and began on‑site reassembly in September 2025 under a team of four German engineers, with commissioning events reported in mid‑November 2025. (antigua.news) The LHM 420 replaces an LHM 320 that had been in service since 2001, bringing higher lifting capacity, faster handling speeds and greater outreach that port statements say align with Post‑Panamax handling needs. (antiguaobserver.com) Prime Minister Gaston Browne framed the procurement as part of a broader port modernization push tied to transshipment ambitions and referenced roughly EC$500 million invested in cargo and cruise port upgrades in recent years. (antiguanewsroom.com) Port Manager Darwin Telemaque confirmed the dual‑crane configuration is already increasing operational throughput and speeding vessel turnaround, a change the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority links to improved competitiveness in the eastern Caribbean. (antiguaobserver.com) Assembly work was reported to have specific timelines—engineers said reassembly stages would be completed within weeks of arrival—and government briefings tied the upgrade to projected job growth from expanded port activity. (abstvradio.com)
