The Australian port of Newcastle is enhancing its project cargo, general cargo and container handling capabilities further with the investment in two Liebherr LHM 550 mobile harbour cranes at its Mayfield 4 berth.
The LHM 550s, expected to arrive at the port in mid-2022, have an outreach of 54 m and a maximum lifting capacity of 154 tonnes.
Port of Newcastle’s executive manager trade and business development, Paul Brown, said the mobile harbour cranes will increase efficiency at the port and provide an enhanced alternatives for customers currently moving both oversized equipment and containerised cargoes through the East Coast’s capital city ports.
“Our customers already benefit from port of Newcastle’s uncongested road, dedicated freight rail and berth access and this investment will enable both existing and new customers to utilise the port’s infrastructure to move their oversized equipment and containerised cargo even more efficiently through Newcastle than they currently can.”
Brown continued: “Port of Newcastle is excited about this upgrade to our Mayfield 4 berth service offering. Our team look forward to working with customers and new trades alike to identify how the mobile harbour cranes service can benefit their supply chain, improve efficiency and further support their ability to successfully compete in international markets.”
With access to rail sidings and upgraded internal roads, able to handle oversized trucks, the cranes are capable of handling a diverse mix of project cargo, including wind turbines, mining equipment, timber, steel coils and transformers, said the port.
Port of Newcastle ceo Craig Carmody said the investment in mobile harbour cranes was part of the port’s long-term diversification plans to better meet the demands of customers. “As the Hunter’s trade gateway to the world, the mobile harbour crane investment will enable the port to leverage the full use of our abundant channel, rail, road and land capacity to accommodate existing and new trade and ensure the port of Newcastle is best placed to meet the demands of customers into the future.”
