CLARIFICATION – The executive order does not affect any existing Chinese-made cranes at American ports.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — President Joe Biden signed an executive order this week earmarking billions of dollars to support a shift away from Chinese-made port cranes, including those at the Port of Virginia, but the port says it was not aware the directive was coming.
A portion of a $20 billion fund that’s part of the president’s infrastructure bill will go toward moving away from Chinese-built ZPMC cranes with ones that will eventually be made here in America.
The order calls for PACECO Corp., a US subsidiary of Mitsui of Japan, to onshore US manufacturing capacity for its crane production. PACECO has a history in port crane production dating back to 1958, and previously built cranes in the US until the late 1980s.
A government report warned that the ZPMC cranes have sensors that could monitor our shipping business, and in a worst case scenario disrupt it or shut it down via remote control.
More than 200 of these cranes are in use across the country, including every ship-to-shore crane at the Port of Virginia.
Virginia Senators Tim Kaine (D) and Mark Warner (D) sent WAVY this joint statement:
“We are all well aware of the widespread efforts by the Communist Party of China to use cyberattacks as a way to interfere with U.S. infrastructure. This investment in domestic manufacturing of ship-to-shore cranes will strengthen our national security, protecting against possible espionage, while also creating jobs for Americans. We look forward to working with the administration and the Port of Virginia to see this through.”
But Port of Virginia spokesman Joseph Harris said in an email Friday afternoon that the Port was not aware of the executive order to replace the cranes was coming. In fact, the Port had just ordered eight more cranes from ZPMC — four to be delivered late this year, four others set to arrive in August 2025.
Harris expressed confidence the cranes are safe and secure, and said that they underwent detailed forensic cyber analysis before going online.
“Before any new cranes are put into service here, they are subject to a detailed forensic cyber analysis that is performed by one of the nation’s federal law enforcement agencies,” Harris wrote. “New cranes awaiting analysis are isolated with dedicated firewalls to insure there is no contact with port networks or the internet.”
The Port says discussions with federal officials have not yet begun, and it’s unclear how much pressure ports will face to purchase the American-made cranes once domestic production is ready. Harris points out that there have been no reports of cranes in Virginia being used for espionage, nor have there been any breaches of cybersecurity affecting Port of Virginia cranes.
“We take the issue of cybersecurity very seriously and work continuously to protect our operations against outside threats,” Harris stated. “As part of this effort, we undertake regular cybersecurity exercises that include close collaboration with several federal entities/partners in Hampton Roads to ensure readiness for multiple types of cyber-events or threats. We are confident that our protocols will satisfy the requirements of the Executive Order.”