"Big Blue" Begins 9,000-Nautical-Mile Tow from Wisconsin to Pearl Harbor

A 200-foot-tall U.S. Navy portal crane has departed Manitowoc, Wisconsin (LOCODE: USMTW) bound for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (LOCODE: USPEA).

The crane, designated P-82 and nicknamed "Big Blue", is currently under tow by the tug Ocean Tower (IMO: 7717676), secured to a barge for the 9,000-nautical-mile Pacific transit.

The crane and its mission

P-82 is a portal jib crane manufactured by Konecranes. Once installed at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, it will be capable of lifting loads of up to 175 tonnes.

The crane features a base designed to accommodate the varied rail sizes and track configurations found across the Navy's historically laid-out shipyard facilities.

Part of a $370 million programme

The crane is part of a $370 million programme to upgrade the United States' four public naval shipyards, according to the Navy's Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Project (SIOP).

P-82 is the second unit delivered under a contract the U.S. Navy signed with Konecranes in 2019, covering the delivery of up to seven portal cranes.

Wider overhaul at Pearl Harbor

The crane's arrival forms part of a larger infrastructure investment at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. The shipyard is currently undergoing a comprehensive modernisation that includes the construction of Dry Dock 5, a new full-size graving dock valued at $2.8 billion.

It will be the first new full-size graving dock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard since World War II. The dock is scaled to support future submarine classes, including the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine fleet, the most survivable component of the U.S. nuclear deterrent.

Source: The Maritime Executive