There is a trend for ports to push their container cranes harder for longer, which can lead to cracks and other fatigue-related issues, says Richard Phillips, mechanical engineer, Casper, Phillips & Associates Inc. (CPA). Lately it seems that ports have been putting off crane purchases and want to use their existing cranes past their design life. Additionally, cranes have been pushed harder than ever as they move record amounts of container traffic. These two factors have led