New capacity for Liverpool deep-sea terminal

The new crane, the sixth installed at Liverpool since 2000, will have the capability to corner onto the terminal’s Berth S6, creating a fourth deep-sea berth and substantially increasing operational capacity and flexibility. Able to fully load and unload Panamax-class cargo ships, it is 62 m high and weighs 923 tonnes, with an outreach of 38 m. An existing Liebherr crane has also been adjusted to allow it to access the S6 berth.

Following the recent introduction of three new Noell straddle carriers from Germany at a cost of £1.4m, the new crane spend takes total investment in equipment at Seaforth to £6.5m in the past quarter.

The new Noell straddle carriers replace three older machines, as part of an ongoing process of equipment modernisation. All but four of the port’s 38 straddle carriers have been acquired since 2000. The Royal Seaforth Container Terminal is now handling 700,000 teu a year and has seen a total of £50m worth of investment in the past eight years.