A £2-MILLION investment has swung into Immingham, as the fleet of cranes that keep it the busiest freight port in the country is expanded.
A new machine, itself shipped over direct from the Gottwald factory in Dusseldorf, Germany, will be put to use on a wide variety of cargoes.
Associated British Ports’ Grimsby & Immingham port manager, Mike Sellers, who last month oversaw the £5-million completion of the new Royal Dock lock gates in Grimsby, said: “The new crane will be used to move anything from bulk cargoes to hook work and everything in between,” said Mike. “We’ve recently secured new soda ash business which created a requirement for additional equipment, plus this crane is slightly smaller than some of the others in the existing fleet, which means it can be moved around the port estate and the quaysides more easily.”
For the technically-minded, it is a Terex / Gottwald HMK 170 EG, measuring 50 metres high, and weighing approximately 280 tonnes. It took four days to reach Immingham by sea and has now joined the rest of the port fleet of 18 machines, with an estimated value of around £50-million.
“It’s essential that we make efforts to continually improve efficiency in order to ensure our operations and those of our customers remain competitive and that Immingham is allowed to develop and grow,” said Mr Sellers.
“This latest purchase, which forms part of our planned programme of ongoing investment, means the port will continue to thrive and support local jobs.”
Immingham is the UK’s busiest port by tonnage, with 62.6-million tonnes handled in 2013. Along with the three other Humber ports, it contributes around £1.5-billion to the regional economy and supports 14,000 jobs in the area.
The new crane comes as Grimsby Institute leads a project to establish a £7.8-million Logistics Centre in Immingham, to ensure the skills are there for the growth in port-based industries. Part of the plan, as reported last month, are high-tech crane simulators.
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