Guam - The Public Utilities Commission last night also approved the Port Authority of Guam's request to acquire three gantry cranes from Matson and Horizon. Port board chair Dan Tydingco says the law requires the agency to make the acquisition before the end of the year.

The cranes will be purchased with a $12 million USDA guaranteed loan. "Parallel to that there's a separate docket that's already winding its way through the PUC process and that's the ability for the Port Authority to collect the tariff surcharge that Matson and Horizon presently charge to all the shippers and the customers using the cranes that they presently own," said Tydingco. "They presently charge $125 per container - we're looking to give that authority to be transferred to the Port Authority."

Tydingco says that money will be used to pay for the cranes and to provide proper, continuous maintenance and to establish a syncing funding for the procurement of brand new cranes in the future.

In the meantime, the Port's modernization task force is expected to be rolling out some task orders for upland projects fairly soon while the agency is working with GEDA on a loan facility for the needed wharf repairs.