The first of two new ship-to-shore container cranes, costing £25 million and built by Liebherr in Ireland, arrived in Scotland aboard a vessel from Cork Harbour, will be a major boost for productivity at the Port of Greenock.
At 932-tons, the structure was delivered (by the heavy-lift vessel Jumbo Jubilee) to the west-facing freight port following a 1-day passage from Cork Harbour, where Afloat highlights the Doyle Shipping Group assembled the crane shore-side. Prior to then they had been transported from the manufacturer, Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd., located in Fossa, Killarney, Co. Kerry.
The Jumbo Jubilee was seen yesterday on arrival at Greenock, where work will shortly begin to install the vital infrastructure at the port, and it will be fully operational later this year following stringent testing.
The cranes will help accommodate increased demand from cargo owners, support growth in transatlantic trade, and future-proof the port. The capabilities of the new cranes have already been key in securing new routes, including a new weekly deep sea container service connecting Scotland to the Mediterranean market of Turkey.
Port operator Peel Ports Clydeport spent £25 million on the two new 72-meter-tall ship-to-shore cranes, which are to be named ‘U-Crane Bolt’ after Jamaican Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt and ‘Craner Swift’ in tribute to Taylor Swift following a naming competition with local schoolkids.
Jim McSporran, port director at Peel Ports Clydeport, said: “It’s a really special moment to welcome the first of our two new cranes to the Port of Greenock.
“These two structures will be transformational for the port, significantly expanding our freight capabilities here, and we’re all really excited to have them fully operational later this year.
“Once installed, they will also boost efficiency and bring more opportunities for global connections and worldwide trade into Greenock, further strengthening our position as a major port for importers and exporters.”
The second of the huge structures is due to arrive in the coming weeks or months.
The £25 million cranes are the largest single investment made at the container terminal and come less than a year after Afloat reported a new £20 million cruise ship visitor centre opened at the neighbouring Greenock Ocean Terminal on Inverclyde.
A naming competition for the cranes was launched by Peel Ports Clydeport in partnership with Inverclyde Council, with the winners announced earlier this year.
Avaleigh Lang, 10, of Lady Alice Primary in Greenock, chose Craner Swift as a nod to the US pop icon, while Frances McFadden, 10, of the town’s St Mary’s Primary School, opted for U-Crane Bolt as a tribute to Usain Bolt.
