The cranes’ arrival follows a record-breaking October for Peel Ports’ container operations at the Port of Liverpool. Quayside and landside throughput in October exceeded all previous figures on record with year-on-year growth of 12%.
Mark Whitworth, Chief Executive Officer of Peel Ports, said: “An increasing number of businesses understands that it makes more sense to ship products closer to their end destinations. The investment we’ve made in these cranes and elsewhere at the port is crucial to providing us with the capacity to meet growing demand, especially with Liverpool handling record container volumes in October.”
The cranes arrived on ZHEN HUA 25 on 2 December. The vessel left Shanghai on 15 September and sailed round the Cape of Good Hope. Each crane weighs around 1600 tonnes.
The cranes can operate at speeds more than 30 moves per hour and facilitate 1,500 moves in each tidal window, says Peel Ports. They are capable of twin-pick and outreach of 24 containers up to 10 high on deck, and safe working loads of up to 85 tonnes (under hook). They can operate in wind speeds of up to 55 miles per hour (88 kmph).
Peel Ports recently entered into an agreement with MSC affiliate TIL. The proposed joint venture involves the development of the Liverpool2 container terminal “and will enable Peel Ports to accelerate its ambitious growth plans.”
