Lend Lease wins £300m shipping terminal contract

Peel Ports has named infrastructure group Lend Lease as principal contractor for Liverpool2, its new deep-water container terminal at the Port of Liverpool.

The terminal, which will bring some of the world's largest container ships to the Mersey, is due to open for business in 2015. Built at Seaforth in the River Mersey, the new structure will avoid vessel size restrictions of the current container terminal, which is located within a closed dock system accessed by locks.

The container terminal is being funded by the European Investment Bank and Peel Ports' banks.

Gary Hodgson, managing director of Peel Ports Mersey, said: "The naming of the principal contractor is a vitally important move in the construction of Liverpool2, and we are confident that Lend Lease, with an impressive track record on major construction projects across the globe, is the right company for the job.

"This facility represents a transformational project for the Peel Ports business. It will bring thousands of jobs and economic prosperity to the Merseyside region along with the rest of the North West. The Liverpool2 brand will become known throughout the world as our new container terminal brings customers to the North West from all points of the compass from South America to the Far East."

Lend Lease will drive the overall programme, support operations, and collaborate with Peel Ports in managing site facilities and rules and working with quay wall contractor, who has yet to be named.

Michael Dyke, executive director for Lend Lease project management and construction in Europe, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this contract and are particularly excited about working with Peel Ports, as they seek to redefine such an important entry point to UK plc. Liverpool2 is a complex project that will require close collaboration with all stakeholders, at every level. The alignment of Lend Lease core values, with those of Peel Ports, will be a significant aspect of successful delivery. This project is wholly consistent with our increased focus on economic infrastructure and reinforces our commitment to the EMEA region, given the significant contribution Liverpool2 will have upon the local community and the UK economy as a whole."

The new terminal will accommodate two vessels of up to 13,500 containers at a time, compared to the current 3,500-container ships.

Liverpool2 will connect directly to a number of port centric logistics hubs along the Manchester Ship Canal via barge.

This will allow global shippers to access the UK's major import centres via the most economic and lowest carbon route and provide Northern-based exporters with a more competitive route to market.

The construction programme comprises of a new 854 metre quay wall, the in-filling of the newly created land-mass, the dredging of a new 16.5 metre deep berthing pocket adjacent to the quay wall, the installation of ship-to-shore quay cranes and modern cantilever rail mounted gantry cranes and associated supporting infrastructure works.

The quay wall contractor will be named in the near future, and further packages of work will be advertised, including design and consultancy services.