The Guam Port Authority said gauges on its gantry cranes recorded winds of 100 mph Friday night when one of the cranes was dislodged and crashed into two other cranes.
Guam was not under a tropical storm watch or warning at the time, forecasts had called for wind gusts up to 50 mph.
The National Weather Service is still analyzing data from the weekend storm, but so far the highest recorded gust on Guam was 63 mph early Saturday morning.
High winds continued throughout the day Saturday, delaying repair work on the three damaged cranes, none of which were operational after the incident.
Port General Manager Rory J. Respicio briefed Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port Authority of Guam Board of Directors and other officials Saturday on the incident and the ongoing recovery effort.
According to a news release from the port, high winds caused Gantry Crane 6 to become dislodged from its secured position and travel 1,000 feet along the crane rail system before hitting Gantry Cranes 5 and 4. The contact caused the cranes to move several hundred feet farther along the dock. No injuries were reported.
Gantry Crane 6 was off the rails and secured, while Gantry Crane 5 had one wheel off the rails. Gantry Crane 4 was on the rails and had power.
Port officials said Gantry Crane 4 remains the Port’s most immediate opportunity to restore crane capacity for upcoming vessel operations.
“Our teams and technical partners are working with urgency to safely restore our crane capacity and get the port back on its feet,” Respicio said in the news release.