The Hickman-Fulton County Riverport Authority says barge-unloading operations on Kentucky's side of the Mississippi will resume after a year-long hiatus, thanks to the port’s new crane.
The old crane had been in use since 1972 and was decommissioned last November following an accident, which greatly diminished the port’s ability to process cargo.
Riverport Authority Director Greg Curlin says they’ve spent the last year working with state agencies to raise money for a new $1.6 million specialized boom crane from the Netherlands.
“It is built for the marine industry and it has the capability of being on the water," said Curlin. "It has a lot of features to protect the environment; it’s got a tier-4 engine in it, one of the good things. As well as it’s completely contained so if you did have a leak or anything like that, it cannot spill out to the water.”
Curlin says the port sees some 450,000 tons of cargo freight each year with the crane needing to handle around 150,000 tons.
A new port further north along the Mississippi Riveris in early stages of development, which Curlin says will bring more state-level focus on marine-industry jobs and resources to the area.
“We know how we help west Kentucky and west Tennessee currently, but specifically in Ballard County or Carlisle County, how can we help them or how do we fit in?" said Curlin. "We’re trying to figure that out, but at the same time, it can’t be anything but good for this area to have such a number of people working to bring in industry and opportunity to west Kentucky.”
The port holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new crane with local officials Wednesday at 1pm.
