The Georgia Ports Authority has commissioned the first of four new Neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes at the Garden City Terminal, bringing its fleet to 23 – more cranes than any other U.S. terminal – with three machines yet to come online.

"Expanding our capabilities means we are able to grow along with our customers, and adjust to changes in the logistics marketplace, such as increasing vessel sizes," said GPA Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy.

Designed by Konecranes of Finland, these enormous cranes can work the largest ships calling on the U.S. East Coast.

Garden City Terminal will add another crane every two weeks until late April, bringing the total number to 26 this year: 20 Neo-Panamax cranes and six Post-Panamax cranes. Port officials said another four Neo-Panamax cranes are on order and will be commissioned in 2018.

The growing crane fleet, working over nearly 10,000 contiguous feet of dock, will be able to handle more than 1,000 container moves per hour when all 30 cranes are in place.

"The improvements we're making to our terminal infrastructure demonstrate the GPA's commitment to expand capacity, providing more opportunities for growth and greater flexibility to meet customer needs," McCarthy said.

On Monday, Executive Director Griff Lynch reported to the GPA Board 14.4 percent growth in containerized trade for February.