Feature, Freight News, Sea

ABP to spend £32m on equipment for the Humber

[ April 21, 2022   //   Chris ]

Associated British Ports (ABP) is investing £32 million in port equipment in the Humber.

A five-year strategy will include new cranes, full refurbishment of existing cranes and landside equipment, all with regard to the eco-friendliness of the new plant.

ABP is investing in mobile harbour cranes and hydraulic cranes – the first of which the Mantsinen 300M, the world’s largest hydraulic crane, is due at the port of Immingham late April.

ABP’s regional director for the Humber, Simon Bird said: “This significant investment shows the confidence we have to continue to grow and invest to ensure the Humber ports are future-proofed when it comes to the latest technology in cranes and cargo handling equipment.

“Our strategy is about ensuring we have a versatile mix of cranes to cargo mix and that we can provide additional capacity to meet growing volumes of cargo.  As a port operator we remain resilient and give our customers what they need, and they want to know what we have is reliable and efficient.”

The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the rollout of the strategy, but now orders are being placed and equipment is arriving. The first delivery in December 2021 were four Konecranes Reach Stackers which run on hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) costing £1.6 million This will be followed by the Mantsinen 300m Hybrilift hydraulic crane plus various attachments costing nearly £3 million in spring.

The incoming plant and machinery will replace older infrastructure, while existing cranes will undergo a million-pound major refurbishment.  Those being refurbished include the Butterley cranes built in the1990s for the width of the locks in the ports of Immingham and Hull.

The programme also includes £16m spending on maintenance capital expentiture on cargo handling landslide within Immingham Container Terminal (ICT) and Hull Container Terminal (HCT), and the stocking of spare parts as part of the port’s resilience.

Tags: Associated British Ports Hull, Immingham