Galveston port sues to have container cranes removed

THE Port of Galveston is taking a Houston businessman to court to force him to remove four container cranes at Pier 10 he purchased last year at an auction.

The port has filed the lawsuit against CRP International and its manager, Richard Perez, who in April last year paid US$40,000 for the cranes.

According to the Galveston Daily News, terms of the agreement included a provision that Mr Perez remove the cranes by August 1, 2008.

When they missed that deadline, the port made repeated demands for the cranes' removal. Mr Perez also failed to keep their promise to remove the cranes by May 10 2009, according to the lawsuit.

Crews working for Mr Perez had begun dismantling the cranes but never finished the job, said port director Steve Cernak.

In November, the port began charging CRP for storage of the cranes. Those unpaid charges amounted to $148,561 at the end of last month.

The cranes pose a safety hazard and are blocking growth at the port, Mr Cernak said, adding that the port estimates that it will cost $1.2 million to remove the cranes.

(Source: www.schednet.com)