Associated British Ports (ABP) has awarded a £26 million contract to Liebherr to manufacture four new ship-to-shore gantry cranes as part of its redevelopment of container berths 201/202 at the Port of Southampton. The berth and cranes will enable Southampton’s container terminal – a joint venture with terminal operator DP World – to continue to handle the growing number of ultra large container vessels (ULCCs), cementing the port’s position at the forefront of global container trade.
Following construction at Liebherr’s factory in Ireland the cranes will be shipped to Southampton in component form before being assembled on site. Once operational, the cranes will be able to handle ULCCs of 24 containers wide and will have a lift capacity of 65 tonnes. The four new cranes will be supplemented by a fifth similar Liebherr crane, which will be relocated from Southampton’s existing container berths.
Doug Morrison, ABP Port Director Southampton, said: “The number of large vessels in operation has increased considerably in recent years, and we are now seeing regular calls by 13,000 teu vessels. It’s imperative that we have state of the art cranes on our new berth to allow short turnaround times for these vessels.
“This investment signifies a substantial commitment to the project on behalf of ABP, and we are delighted to be able to award this contract to Liebherr.” Pat O’Leary, Managing Director of Liebherr Container Cranes, said: “Liebherr is
delighted to have been awarded this contract which will bring the number of Liebherr STS at the Port of Southampton to ten. This order reflects the confidence which ABP and DP World Southampton have in the ability of the Liebherr product to deliver their requirements in respect of performance and customer service.”
Chris Lewis, Managing Director, DP World Southampton, said: “The new berth and cranes will ensure we remain globally competitive and successful by being able to handle the largest container vessels afloat. “Our customers rightly expect the best of operational capability at a deep-sea container terminal, as well as the best productivity, flexibility and fastest turnaround times.
“Having this new infrastructure capability is vital and underscores Southampton’s position as the first and last deep-sea port of call in Northern Europe for the Far East, with its sheltered location, first-class road and rail distribution links to the Midlands and market-leading service and productivity.” After the new cranes are delivered and assembled on site, the new berth is expected to be operational in early 2014.