Peel Ports aims to make Mersey most reliable UK port

Peel Ports has appointed Cannock-based Briggs Equipment UK to undertake the engineering maintenance of its operational plant and equipment at the 1,200-acre Port of Liverpool.

Briggs will be responsible for ship-to-shore container cranes, quayside cranes, straddle carriers, harbour mobile cranes and other mobile equipment supporting the port's multi terminal operations.

Peel Ports has set itself the target of being the most reliable and responsive of any UK port.

Briggs will aim to maximise equipment uptime and predictive / preventative maintenance programmes. This includes a set target to provide 98%+ equipment availability, when required by operations, coupled with statutory and Planned Preventative Maintenance programmes.

Brad Crumbleholme, engineering manager for the Port of Liverpool, said: "The Port has undergone major changes over recent times with engineering being one of them. We have an aggressive growth programme and recognise that this can only be delivered with outstanding customer service. By illustrating our vision for the future and adopting best practice, the support offered by Briggs will enable us to realise these challenges.

"A huge amount of time and effort has been put into finalising this agreement and we can now look forward to implementing the planned improvements needed to take the Port of Liverpool operations to the next level. Engineering activities play a crucial role within the Port and by partnering with Briggs Equipment UK we are confident we will see the benefits that world class engineering activities can have on maximising our operational capability."

Together, the Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal handle more than 40 million tonnes of cargo and 16,500 ship movements a year, making the River Mersey Britain's third busiest estuary.