The Port of Greenock has officially unveiled its new £25m ship-to-shore cranes, writes Carol Millett, which aim to boost productivity and speed up container operations.
Owner Peel Ports Clydeport welcomed guests to the port for a ceremony to celebrate the biggest-ever investment in Greenock’s container facilities.
The company said the west-facing freight port’s new infrastructure is already benefitting customers, with one vessel recently departing 13 hours earlier than planned because of the quicker turnaround time.
Jim McSporran, port director at Peel Ports Clydeport, said: “It’s been great to welcome guests and customers to Greenock today so we can celebrate this important addition to our port estate.
“We believe the new cranes will be transformational for our port, and it’s incredible the impact they are having already
“It’s clear to the human eye how much quicker they are, and we’ve had a great response from customers and our teams on the efficiencies they’re bringing.
“With so much pressure on supply chains, it’s invaluable for our customers to know our operations are even faster now.”
Owen Griffiths, Diageo logistics director, said: “We welcome the investment made by Peel Ports, who are an important partner to Diageo, in delivering resilience and capacity to our network out of Scotland, enabling our goods to reach our customers around the world.”
The cranes arrived at the port in June this year and have been fully operational since July following stringent testing.
The port operator believes the cranes will help accommodate increased demand from cargo owners, and support growth in transatlantic trade, as well as future proof the port.
The capabilities of the new cranes have already been key in securing new routes, include a new weekly deep sea container service connecting Scotland to the Mediterranean market of Turkey.
The cranes are the largest single investment made at the container terminal and come less than a year after a new £20m cruise ship visitor centre opened at the neighbouring Greenock Ocean Terminal.
