One of Port of Liverpool's new shovel loaders

The Port of Liverpool has taken first delivery of two new cutting-edge shovel loaders which will replace an existing fleet of machines at the Animal Food Stuffs (AFS) warehouse.

The new JCB 457 loading shovels were selected and specified with additional safety features including hi-visibility hand rails, Ardent vehicle fire protection, camera system, illuminating chevrons and Tier 5 engine technology to reduce harmful emissions by eliminating ultra-fine particles of soot in diesel exhaust known as sub-micron level particles. This is extremely important and in alignment with Peel Ports' clean air quality strategy.

A further four new machines will be delivered over the coming weeks, which will include another two JCB 457 and two JCB 437 loading shovels.

The new equipment will be used across the bulk terminals at Mersey, specifically the AFS and Merlin General Bulk Stores, and will allow the port to continue to provide its customers with a reliable and competitive service.

Phil Hall, port director (Liverpool) at Peel Ports, says the machines have been well received by the team. "They are highly reliable pieces of equipment which will further enable us to deliver our customer needs more efficiently due to an increased cubic capacity bucket.

"We have a great working relationship with Briggs Equipment, who are our strategic wheeled asset partners. They have a strong track record for safety and customer service. Putting our customer service first is paramount to Peel Ports; this investment will minimise machine downtime, supporting our operational capability to customer service satisfaction."