The Port of Corner Brook is getting a brand new crane, which may be a head-scratcher for some as a large blue crane has been sitting idle at the port for the last few years.

The provincial and federal governments paid for the existing crane in a 50/50 cost-share agreement. It was installed to load and unload container ships, but ran into some issues and was never really used.

Late last week, almost $11-million in funding was announced for upgrades at the Port, including a new warehouse and a crane to allow goods to be shipped to international markets.

As for the old crane, Premier Dwight Ball says the two will work together. He says they will complement each other and set the Port Authority up for more activity. Ball says there will also be 100 new jobs during construction.

The upgrades aim to give the port the opportunity to get directly to market with more efficiently from Corner Brook, while increasing productivity in its operations.

While the old crane encountered issues, Premier Ball says those problems have been identified.

Ball says the upgrades will also help cut greenhouse gas emissions by taking some traffic off the roads, reducing activity in the area. He says it will also reduce dependency on Marine Atlantic, as they’ll be able to ship directly from Corner Brook to international markets.