Two tandem lifts in two days

The UK’s Port of Sunderland has reported that it has performed two tandem lift projects in two days, using its pair of Liebherr 420 harbour mobile cranes.

Sunderland tandem lift with a pair of Liebherr LHM 420 cranes

Investment in the Liebherr equipment means Port of Sunderland is able to react to the immediate demands of an increasingly dynamic marketplace, for the handling out of gauge project cargo items – where the weight or size of the cargo item would make it difficult or impossible to handle with just one crane.

Matthew Hunt, port director at Port of Sunderland, said: “We invested in additional cranage in 2019, as our view of the marketplace at this time was that this would give us a more comprehensive handling capability, including being able to offer tandem lifting, something that allows us to support our customers’ demands more fully.

“It’s clear that Port of Sunderland is building a reputation for not only its materials handling capabilities, but its flexibility and supportive approach which has seen us win new business and increase tonnage volumes during a period in which many ports have been hit hard by COVID-19.

“These latest projects really illustrate the range of opportunities we are able to support using our cranes in tandem lifting mode, and we’re sure they’re just the latest in a long line of projects that we will successfully execute for customers who want to make use of our operational infrastructure.”

The port invested in a second Liebherr LHM 420 crane in 2019, allowing it to handle the most demanding of cargo projects and unlocking the ability to conduct tandem lifts with a maximum lifting capacity of up to 240T.

By Jake Frith