Mount Vernon port to acquire crane with federal grant
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The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $2.25 million grant to the Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon. The funding will help the port acquire a heavy-lift crane, which the port authority says will support the handling of new large project cargo and dimensional steel shipments.
The funding comes from the DOT’s Maritime Administration as part of its $12 million U.S. Marine Highway Grant Program. It is the first federal grant awarded to the Mount Vernon port.
The Ports of Indiana said it worked with Ohio River steel shippers to identify the need for the 120-ton crane. The crane is expected to double the port’s lift capacity, improve safety and help decrease carbon emissions.
The total cost of the crane purchase is expected to be $3 million.
“This is an important project that will allow our port to handle new cargoes and create significant public benefits by shipping larger cargoes by water,” Jason May, port director at Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon, said in a news release. “By combining the speed and efficiency of our existing 60-ton dual-lift overhead crane with the heavy-lift capacity and flexible lifting structure of this new crane, we are positioning this port as a critical multimodal hub for steel and general cargo.”
A spokesperson for the Ports of Indiana said the procurement contract for the crane is expected to be completed by mid-January. Manufacturing of the crane is tentatively slated for completion by the end of 2024, with installation at the port to be completed by mid-2025.
The Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon sits on 1,200 acres of land and ships an average of 6 million tons of cargo annually. The port is currently searching for a general cargo terminal operator.