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New Mersey terminal opens as new ocean gateway for world's largest ships

Xinhua, November 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

One of the world's most modern shipping terminals was officially opened in Liverpool Friday by Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox.

A line of red cranes, built in Shanghai and shipped to the River Mersey, now dominate the entrance to the Port of Liverpool.

The apex of the cranes is 92 meters, almost as tall as the Big ben tower at the Houses of Parliament. When the crane boom are raised the height reaches 130 meters.

The super-structures were produced by Chinese company, Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (ZPMC), one of the largest heavy duty equipment manufacturers in the world.

They were transported by sea on a 30,000-kilometer ocean journey from Shanghai to Liverpool.

The 500 million U.S. dollar investment in Liverpool by Peel Ports provides a state-of-the-art ocean gateway for British importers and exporters with road, rail and canal connections linking directly to the heart of the British mainland, accessing a catchment of over 35 million people, almost 58 percent of the population.

The new deep water facility will complement the existing Royal Seaforth Container Terminal at the existing Port of Liverpool. Each terminal has the capacity to handle around 1 million containers per annum.

Liverpool is already Britain's biggest transatlantic port, with a 45 percent market share, and the only major container port in the north or west of Britain.

The new container terminal has been developed in response to changing trading patterns and shipping industry trends towards the use of "mega" ocean-going container ships. It means Liverpool can now handle the biggest cargo vessels in the world.

Secretary of State Fox said: "Exporting is vital to the economic health of our nation. This investment at Liverpool will boost crucial cargo capacity, create local jobs and is yet another sign that the UK is open for business with the world."

Liverpool currently handles 8 percent of the container market in Britain, but this is expected to rise to between 15 percent and 20 percent.

The new expanded port facility will create an estimated 5,000 jobs direct and indirect jobs. Endit