One of Scotland’s oldest freight ports is due to receive a lift in productivity as operator Peel Ports ordered two new cranes.
The multi-million-pound investment at Greenock Ocean Terminal should help to future-proof the port, as it prepares to accommodate increased demand from cargo owners.
Peel Ports has issued a £17m tender for the cranes - the largest single investment made at the container terminal since it opened in 1969.
It will also help provide global shipping companies ongoing access to major import and export centres at the heart of the UK.
The commission of the cranes at Scotland’s deepest container terminal comes amid the ongoing construction of a purpose built multi-agency Border Control Post.
This was a requirement to allow all commodities to be imported and exported from the port in the face of changing legislative requirements due to Brexit.
The terminal currently accounts for 60,000 containers per annum - a third of all containers coming into Scotland.
The terminal also recently created additional storage capacity of up to 2,500 twenty foot equivalent units for containers.
As part of the transition, the terminal will later decommission its crane no.3, which will be replaced in the short term with a multi-docker crane that specialises in the handling of forest products.
Once the contract is awarded it’s expected the work will take 18 months. Once the two new cranes are completed and on site, the group will later decommission the two other cranes currently at the terminal.
Clydeport port director Jim McSporran said: “This investment highlights our commitment to ensuring Greenock Ocean Terminal continues to provide an efficient service for our customers.
“Throughout the last two years, we have seen some significant changes in the supply chain and trading patterns due to Covid-19 and Brexit and by investing in our infrastructure, we are ensuring the future of the terminal.
“Greenock Ocean Terminal is a mainstay of the local community and it’s important that we look towards the future and continue to provide job prospects and economic opportunities for local businesses”
Located on the Firth of Clyde, the terminal has been at the heart of Scotland’s shipping industry since 1876.
Ship visits are expected to double this season, with 74 cruise liners booked into the Inverclyde town’s new dedicated pontoon across 2022.
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