Northern Ireland-based contractor McLaughlin & Harvey has secured a key contract to develop the Liverpool2 deep-water container terminal.

Liverpool2 is a £400m investment that provides a state-of-the-art ocean gateway for international trade to and from the UK. The deep-water facility is capable of accommodating the world's largest container vessels and connects road, rail and canal networks linking directly to the heart of the UK mainland, accessing a catchment of over 35 million people, almost 53% of the UK's population.

McLaughlin & Harvey has been appointed to deliver the terminal's next phase of development.

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When complete, the work will significantly increase the footprint of the site and see the addition of ten cantilever rail mounted gantry cranes (CRMGs) and three ship-to-shore cranes (STS).

The STS cranes are scheduled to arrive in November 2019 with the overall project expected to be completed during 2021. Detailed design and preparatory civil works have already commenced.

There will also be additional reefer points installed to allow the terminal to handle even greater quantities of refrigerated containers at the Port of Liverpool.

Mark Whitworth, CEO of Peel Ports said: "Since originally announcing our expansion plans we have gone on to secure some of the world's major shipping lines as customers at the Port of Liverpool. That, and our growing customer base, is a vote of confidence in the North of England as a competitive route to international markets and Liverpool as a major port for global trade. We look forward to working with the team at McLaughlin & Harvey to deliver the next phase that will provide even more capacity to help meet growing demand."

(CM/JG)