Port of Liverpool takes delivery of the first two out of six shovel loaders from Briggs Equipment  to use in its bulk terminals on the Mersey

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

The new JCB 457 loading shovels are the latest JCB built machines from Briggs Equipment and include cutting edge machine technology. The new machines have been selected and specified with additional safety features.

These include hi-visibility hand rails, Ardent Vehicle Fire Protection, Camera System, Illuminating Chevrons and Tier 5 engine technology, reducing harmful emissions by eliminating ultra-fine particles of soot in diesel exhaust known as sub-micron level particles.

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.

Phil Hall, port director (Liverpool), Peel Ports, said: “The addition of these cutting edge 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 down time supporting our operational capability to customer service satisfaction.”