March 6 - Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) was called on to act as an agent for the arrival of the first giant cranes at DP World London Gateway - the UK's newest container port.
HLPFI reported the arrival of the new cranes on March 4 (http://tinyurl.com/ay5mzfx). ISS was tasked with declaring the vessel Zhen Hua 26 and its cargo to the European reporting system for Customs clearance, and with UK inbound Customs reporting.
ISS was in constant contact with the London gateway keeping it informed of the vessel's progress, as well as confirming routine details such as which side to berth the ship and calculating tidal passages.
Other tasks included making sure the harbour master was fully prepared for visits from Customs, immigration, port health and ensuring all necessary documentation was in place.
ISS is now responsible for the shifting operations of the vessel so each of the three cranes can be discharged to the London quayside. ISS is also making preparations for Zhen Hua 26's scheduled departure on March 10.
Harry Corkerry, ISS port manager, commented: "We began work on this project in October last year and it took a great deal of planning and reconnaissance with ourselves and the berthing party at the terminal to ensure we were fully prepared and had eliminated any potential problems.
"We were very pleased that all our hard work paid off and look forward to completing the remainder of the project this week."
