Peel Ports-operated Port of Greenock has officially unveiled its new GB£25 million (US$33 million) ship-to-shore cranes.
Peel Ports Clydeport, which owns the UK port, welcomed guests to the port for a ceremony to celebrate the biggest-ever investment in Greenock’s container facilities.
“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,” said Peel Ports in a statement.
Jim McSporran, Port Director at Peel Ports Clydeport, noted, “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.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, commented, “Between the Port of Greenock and the new Ocean Terminal visitor centre, that’s the best part of £50 million (US$66 million) of public and private investment in the overall site, which is a key location for Inverclyde, to help boost the local and national economies and encourage further inward investment, support jobs, and boost tourism.”
The new visitor centre has allowed for both the expansion of the cruise ship and also container side of the port and cements Inverclyde’s place as a key shipping hub, according to McCabe.
The cranes arrived at the port of Greenock in June this year and have been fully operational since July following stringent testing.
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 comes less than a year after a new £20 million (US$26 million) cruise ship visitor centre opened at the neighbouring Greenock Ocean Terminal.
A naming competition for the 72-metre tall cranes was launched by Peel Ports Clydeport in partnership with Inverclyde Council, with the winners announced earlier this year. Avaleigh Lang, 10, of Lady Alice Primary in Greenock, chose Craner Swift as a nod to the US pop icon Taylor Swift, while Frances McFadden, 10, of the town’s St Mary’s Primary School opted for U-Crane Bolt as a tribute to Jamaican gold medallist Usain Bolt.
