Craned necks for crane cargo

Three new cranes for loading and unloading cargo container ships arrived Friday evening at the Virginia Port Authority's Norfolk International Terminals.The $24 million shipment left China on March 31 aboard the Zhen Hua 16.

Crews will spend the weekend undoing the fasteners securing the gangly, 208-foot-tall cranes to the ship's deck, said Jeff Florin, the authority's chief engineer.

The blue-and-white behemoths will then be rolled onto a just-constructed 900-foot-long stretch of wharf. The cranes should be off the vessel by the end of next week and in service by July, following adjustments and testing, he said.