Biden Plans To Spend Billions Replacing China-Made Cranes at US Ports

The United States will invest tens of billions of dollars to boost maritime cybersecurity around its strategic seaports, including by replacing China-made container cranes that officials believe could leave American infrastructure vulnerable to sabotage.

Foreign-manufactured ship-to-shore cranes, in particular those built by China's state-owned ZPMC, have been a national security concern for several years. The heavy industries company is the world's largest crane maker, whose machines account for nearly 80 percent of the lifting equipment used at U.S. ports, according to official estimates.

"By design, these cranes may be controlled, serviced, and programmed from remote locations. These features potentially leave PRC-manufactured cranes vulnerable to exploitation," said Rear Adm. Jay Vann, head of the U.S. Coast Guard's cyber command, referring to the People's Republic of China.

Cranes are part of the Marine Transportation System (MTS) that enable "critical national security sealift capabilities that enable the U.S. Armed Forces to project and maintain power around the globe," Vann said. "Any disruption to the MTS, whether man-made or natural, physical or in cyberspace, has the potential to cause cascading impacts to our domestic or global supply chains."