May 23 - The Port of Liverpool's new Liebherr mobile harbour crane has earned its spurs by massively reducing the discharge time in its first operational use, says port owner Peel Ports.
The crane, which has an 82 tonne capability, was used alongside an existing mobile to unload a cargo of 2,500 tonnes of steel coil and 600 tonnes of steel plate from Brazil.
Despite poor weather, the new crane, which is equipped with real time diagnostic capability and has the ability to handle 82 tonnes at its hook and 41 tonnes when in spreader mode, helped halve the previously-expected discharge time for an operation of this sort.
Brian McEvoy, the Port of Liverpool's general cargo terminal manager, said: "We are really pleased with the capability of this new Liebherr mobile harbour, which we have designated ML5 in what is now a fleet of eight mobiles. There were delays due to heavy rain and the necessity of keeping the steel coil dry, but we still achieved record discharge times for such an operation."
The crane is the first of several planned for delivery in 2011.
