Two new container cranes have been supplied to the Port of Tilbury, England by Spain-based Paceco Espana.
The company was awarded the contract to build and deliver the two cranes in 2013, and are part of a £20million investment by Forth Ports at the London Container – topped up with funds from the Motorway of the Sea grant, awarded to the Port of Tilbury and Port of Bilbao in 2012.
The cranes are designed to efficiently handle 45ft (13.7m) containers weighing up to 57 tonnes, and are purpose-built to handle feeder vessels – smaller ships capable of carrying up to 500 containers.
The containers are then loaded onto bigger ships at container terminals, such as the Port of Tilbury.
Perry Glading, COO of Forth Ports, said: “It’s great to see our new Paceco ship-to-shore cranes fully operational this week and already delivering an excellent service for our customers in the short sea and Mediterranean markets.”
He added: “With this investment, we continue to secure Tilbury’s position as a key shipping and distribution location with unrivalled access to London and the South East of England.”
Tilbury has four post-Panamax cranes, two built in 2001 and two built in 2004.
The two new 13-box wide ship-to-shore cranes are now fully operational.
