Tom Eager, North Carolina Ports Authority CEO said, "First day operational. Very exciting. The future's very bright. Once we finish expanding the Port of Wilmington, we'll have the capacity to more than double what we do today." Port officials say the speed of the cranes means more containers loaded and unloaded every minute, and that will bring more foreign investment to the state. Eager said, "We've lacked in that regard from the standpoint of how other states can use their ports to attract that type of investment. Supply chain costs in particular, what most companies note. We haven't been able to provide that. We are in a position to move ahead in that regard." The 100 foot gauge cranes may allow cargo to get to and from the Far East ahead of time. The $34,000,000 cranes are only part of the Port of Wilmington's five-year, $143,000,000 container terminal expansion, but port officials say they are some of the most important parts.