The port of Tilbury, a part of Forth Ports Group, has added a third LHM 550 mobile harbour crane (MHC) to its fleet.
Purchased from Liebherr, the crane will support the growing operations of one of London’s key ports. This includes Aggregate Industries’ new cement grinding manufacturing facility and import terminal.
The crane – which has an outreach of 54 m, and a 144-tonne lifting capacity – was delivered via the Baltic Sea from Liebherr’s Rostock facility in Germany. It was shipped fully assembled aboard Meriaura’s Meri heavy load vessel.
With additional technology, including an over-pressure system, the LHM 550 crane will become operational in 2026. The over-pressure system will force-ventilate the crane’s slewing platform so that product does not enter machine rooms during use – such as when handling granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), a low carbon alternative to standard cement.
The MHC can operate on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and has an electric-ready design which allows for connection to an electrical power supply, whilst also featuring the LieGEN energy recovery system which captures and reuses energy.
“We have set out ambitious net-zero targets across our business and are investing in greener technology to ensure that our operations are sustainable,” said Paul Dale, chief operating officer at Forth Ports. “The Liebherr LHM 550 joins our busy fleet in Tilbury, and they will all support our growing bulks and heavy lift work across our port estate.”
Two LHM 550s are already in operation at Tilbury.
