Belfast Harbour has made its latest investment in the development of the port with the arrival of a brand new £4.5m bulk crane which will operate on Stormont Wharf.
The Liebherr LHM 550 crane, which arrived last week, is a key component of £208m investment committed to Developing & Improving the Port under Belfast Harbour’s five year strategy ‘Advance Regional Prosperity’ and Horizon 1 of the port’s ambitious 2050 Masterplan, which is due to launch later this month.
The new crane, manufactured by Liebherr in Rostock, Germany, can operate on both electrical power and HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) fuel. Initially the crane will run on HVO and once further electrical infrastructure is in place, the crane will be able to be powered entirely by electricity, with zero emissions.
The addition of the new crane will improve performance, resilience and reliability for Belfast Harbour’s customers at its deep water quay, Stormont Wharf, with the capability to operate across a wide range of vessels and cargo types.
Belfast Harbour is Northern Ireland’s leading gateway and key economic hub for trade and tourism, handling 70% of the region’s seaborne imports and exports and 25% of seaborne trade for the island. The port handles £26.7bn worth of goods each year, enabling more than almost 16% of Northern Ireland’s total economic output and contributes £8.8bn in Gross Value Added (GVA) annually, through trade activity alone.
Cargoes, including grain, animal feeds and coal, make up around 25% of imports & exports to and from Belfast Harbour and the purchase of the new crane enhances the port’s resilience and efficiency in handling these products for the benefit of local importers and exporters.
Michael Robinson, Port Director at Belfast Harbour said: “The purchase of this new bulk crane is the latest investment supporting our commitment to advance regional prosperity and continuously modernise our crane fleet. By working with our port customers and responding to their needs we are confident that this investment will help to improve the efficiency and resilience of cargo operations as well as supporting our sustainability goals.
“Strengthening port infrastructure and safeguarding the port’s role as a vital economic gateway is the cornerstone of our 2050 Masterplan, which we will launch later this month. The arrival of this crane is another milestone and a further step in our long‑term investment programme.”
