DP World has received Europe’s largest quay cranes at its flagship London Gateway logistics hub, marking its latest investment to boost the United Kingdom’s future trading capability.
Weighing more than 2,000 tonnes, the giant cranes will come into service at London Gateway’s new fourth berth, set to open this summer.
Following a two-month journey from China, the quay cranes arrived at London Gateway over the weekend before successfully offloading on 21 February. The cranes are expected to operate for a minimum of 25 years and are sized to service the largest vessels currently in operation around the world, including 24,000 TEU container ships and even bigger vessels in the future.
Ahsan Agha, Vice President of Port Operations at DP World London Gateway, commented, “At a time when the pressure to manage costs, maintain reliability and improve speed has never been greater, DP World in the UK has been building a unique array of assets and suite of capabilities to help our customers stay competitive in a fast changing and unpredictable trading environment.
“While they naturally choose us for our growing capabilities, it’s also the quality of our service that makes our customers stay. Thanks to the capacity soon to be provided by the quay cranes and the new fourth berth, that service at London Gateway is future-proofed for years to come.”
The cranes are the largest and the most advanced in Europe, according to DP World, having been fitted with the latest automation technology, being able to complete tandem lifts, involving the loading or unloading of two 40ft boxes or four 20ft boxes in a single move.
Another two quay cranes are expected to dock at London Gateway in early summer. These follow the arrival of the automated stacking cranes (ASCs) and electric straddle carriers, which are also set to go into operation at the new fourth berth.
