Peel hires Lend Lease for £300m port

PEEL Ports has appointed Lend Lease as principal contractor for Liverpool2, its £300m deep-water container terminal at the Port of Liverpool.

The terminal, which will allow some of the world’s largest container ships to dock in the Mersey, will open in 2015 and deliver about 6,000 jobs, according to Peel.

It will avoid vessel size restrictions of the current container terminal, which is located within a closed dock system accessed by locks, and allow two 13,500-container ships at a time, up from the current 3,500 limit.

Peel’s Mersey managing director Gary Hodgson 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.”

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 berthing pocket adjacent to the quay wall, and the installation of ship-to-shore quay cranes. The quay wall contractor will be named soon.

The port will connect with other logistics hubs along the Manchester Ship Canal via barge –  resulting in UK’s first “green logistics hub”, said Peel.

Lend Lease executive director Michael Dyke said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract and are particularly excited at 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.”