Huge cranes arrive at London Gateway port (From Echo)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECHONEWS to 80360, or email us »
Huge cranes arrive at London Gateway port
7:00am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News By Emma Thomas
Andrew Bowden at London Gateway
SUPERSIZED cranes have arrived at the billion pound superport in Stanford-le-Hope following a three-month voyage from China.
The huge 138metre cranes, which are as tall as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and taller than the London Eye, were spotted making there way down the Thames from Southend and Canvey as they arrived at the London Gateway site.
The three cranes, which weigh 2,000 tonnes, are the largest quay-side cranes in the world and are the first of 21 to arrive at the massive £1.5billion port, which is the biggest in Europe.
Andrew Bowden, the port’s director of engineering, said: “We are nearing completion of all the civil works. We are now bringing the equipment in to enable us to open in the fourth quarter of this year. The quay cranes load and unload vessels and the are the largest in the UK.
“They can handle up to four containers at a time - other cranes can only handle two at a time. It saves time and it saves money.
“It is all on time and it is all on budget.”
The cranes will sit along the quay, which in itself is more than one and a half miles long, and more will be delivered once the port’s six main berths are constructed.
They arrived on board the Chinese vessel Zhen Hua 26.
Work on the new deep-sea container port started in 2010 and it is due to open later this year. It also boasts Europe’s biggest logistics park.
Thousands of jobs will be created, with the port’s owners DP World currently recruiting engineers and mechanics.
Comments(9)
apapa palm
says...
8:01am Tue 5 Mar 13
GentleGiant
says...
8:36am Tue 5 Mar 13
Chris Flunk
says...
10:22am Tue 5 Mar 13
GentleGiant wrote:"spotted making there way down the Thames"
Didn't these arrive last week?
Honestly, I'd expect a journalist to know the difference between "there", "their" and "they're". In fact, I'd expect a 10 year old to know the difference. Are you breaking child labour laws?
r6keith
says...
4:01pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Alekhine
says...
4:40pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Yachtsman
says...
4:40pm Tue 5 Mar 13
LHeatherson
says...
7:16pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Carnabackable
says...
12:03am Wed 6 Mar 13
Ian P says...
7:53am Tue 5 Mar 13