A Scottish port has officially unveiled its new £25m ship-to-shore cranes - an investment which its owner says is the biggest-ever in container facilities at the site.
Faster turnaround times for vessels have been enabled by the investment, which is aimed at boosting productivity.
Owner Peel Ports Clydeport welcomed guests to the Port of Greenock today for a ceremony to celebrate the investment in the two cranes, which are each 72 metres high.
Peel Ports Clydeport said: “The west-facing freight port’s new infrastructure is already benefiting customers, with one vessel recently departing 13 hours earlier than planned because of the quicker turnaround time.”
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The cranes arrived at the port in June and have been fully operational since July following stringent testing.
Peel Ports Clydeport said: “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 [this] comes less than a year after a new £20 million cruise ship visitor centre opened at the neighbouring Greenock Ocean Terminal.”
Jim McSporran, port director at Peel Ports Clydeport, said: “It’s been great to welcome guests and customers to Greenock 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.”
He added: “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.
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“With so much pressure on supply chains, it’s invaluable for our customers to know our operations are even faster now.”
Owen Griffiths, logistics director at Scotch whisky distiller and drinks giant Diageo, 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.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “Between the Port of Greenock and the new Ocean Terminal visitor centre, that’s the best part of £50 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.
“It’s great to see the investment in both facilities paying off with an increase in the number of vessels and improved turnaround times.”
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