The first cranes arrived at the London Gateway earlier this year
A number of giant cranes are due to arrive at a new deep-sea container port in Essex. It is the second delivery of cranes to the London Gateway in Thurrock. The first cranes arrived earlier this year and were transported upright on a ship.
They are the biggest ever cranes to be delivered to the UK. They weigh 2,000 tonnes and stand at 138 metres tall - that is two and a half times the height of Nelson's column. In fact, they are so tall it would be possible to roll the London Eye under the lifting arm.
Once the port is fully operational, London Gateway will have 24 cranes on the quayside.
A boat loaded with giant cranes made its way around the region's coast today destined for a big new port on the Thames Estuary near the Dartford Crossing in Essex.
London Gateway will be the biggest port in Britain when it opens later this year. It will handle millions of containers each year and create 12,000 news jobs directly as well as thousands more in the local economy.
Click below to watch a report by ITV News Meridian's Derek Johnson:
The first video clips of three giant cranes from China as they head into port on the River Thames near Essex. The cranes will aid container shipping once the London Gateway opens later this year.
A traditional welcome for the quayside container cranes Credit: Port of London Authority
Manufactured in Shanghai by ZPMC, the cranes are semi-automated for quick and efficient handling. They will be connected directly to the Terminal Operating System, which tracks the containers and sends work orders to the crane operator.
Ship "Zhen Hua 26" coming alongside The London Gateway Credit: Port of London Authority
The cranes have also already been put through their paces – they were fully pre-commissioned and moving boxes in Shanghai. “All the testing was done, and then they were disconnected ready for shipping,” says London Gateway engineering director Andrew Bowen.
"Meanwhile, we are already training our crane operators on our unique simulator, so they will be more than ready to step up to the job.”
The three 138 metre tall cranes set sail Credit: DP World
How large?
The cranes are taller than the London Eye, weigh 1,848 tons each, will reach across 25 rows of containers on a vessel and can lift up to 80 tons at a time.
Why so large?
London Gateway will be handling the world’s largest container ships, operated by shipping lines to provide economies of scale and reduce environmental impact on the main shipping trade lanes. That means lower cost and lower carbon supply chains for retailers and other cargo owners.
And the future?
The 25-box outreach takes the cranes beyond the width of the world’s largest container ship. “The size of the cranes future-proofs the port, allowing London Gateway to handle the next generation of ultra large container ships,” says London Gateway operations director Tim Halhead.
Three giant cranes are sailing along the Thames Estuary on their way to the new London Gateway port in Essex. The cranes, which are two and a half times taller than Nelson's Column, have sailed on a three-month voyage from China.
21 more cranes are due to arrive as the new port nears completion.
Click below to see an artist's impression of the new Gateway Port.
The massive cranes are 138 metres tall - two and a half times the height of Nelson's Column - and have been upright on the ship for the whole trip. Weighing 2,000 tonnes, it would be possible to roll the London Eye under the lifting arm.
These will be just the first quay cranes destined for London Gateway. A further twenty one will be delivered once construction on the six main berths is completed. The quay itself - where the cranes will sit - will be over 2.5 km in length once the port is fully operational.
The site in 2011
London Gateway is set to create around 12,000 jobs once its fully complete, and the developers claim it will help to save around 65 million road miles each year as businesses in the south east can save on transporting goods.
