Atlantic Container Line (ACL) and Peel Ports; Port of Liverpool, have successfully secured new business with GE Transportation to ship, handle and deliver four locomotives before the end of February 2012 to Freightliner, one of the UK's leading rail freight operators.
Two of the four new GE "PowerHaul" locomotives have already arrived after having been shipped for the first time by ACL from the USA to the Port of Liverpool. The PowerHaul 70017 locomotive weighs a massive 123 tonnes and it is anticipated a total of four locomotives will be shipped through Liverpool this year.
The PowerHaul series manufactured in Pennsylvania, USA are the new generation of locomotives designed by GE Transportation to use less fuel and reduce carbon emissions whilst increasing network utilisation, port capacity and reliability. The locomotives are moved by rail to the Port of New York where they are loaded onto the ACL vessel operating on their weekly transatlantic service.
Lowering the PowerHaul locomotive onto the rail track.
The locomotives are transported on mafi trailers capable of carrying up to 150 tonnes. On arrival in Liverpool the mafi trailer and locomotive are moved by tug master to the Liverpool Container Terminal rail head. Here the unit will be lifted by a dual crane lift from the mafi onto the rail track. Once the locomotive is safely located on the rail, safety and brake tests will be conducted before the train is moved to Crewe where it will be prepared for service.
ACL operates the world's most versatile Con Ro (Container / Roll On Roll Off) vessels in the North Atlantic trade. With their unique design, ACL have the flexibility to handle a variety of cargoes, carrying a combination of 1,850 TEU's of containers both above and below the weather deck. The RORO decks have the capacity equivalent of 1,000 TEU for project cargo (massive turbines, heavy machinery, aircraft fuselages, wind turbines, cranes and vehicles).
ACL operates its Transatlantic RORO service on a weekly, fixed-day basis calling at the ports of Halifax (Nova Scotia), New York, Baltimore and Norfolk, Virginia. In Europe, ACL call at the ports of Liverpool, Antwerp, Hamburg and Gothenburg.
Ian Higby (Managing Director ACL) commented: "The strength of the ACL North Atlantic service to Liverpool is that we bring a liner service with all the advantages of regularity, reliability and safety to cargo which may have had to be transported in expensive break bulk or heavy lift vessels. We are very pleased that we have been able to demonstrate to Freightliner and to GE that we have the capability and expertise to look after their valuable locomotive and deliver it safely and soundly to Liverpool. We look forward to delivering the next three and more."
Paul McCoy, Business Manager Imports/Exports at the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal, said: "The Port of Liverpool welcomes opportunities to work with customers like ACL to secure new business through the Port, and this is a great example of the flexibility and versatility the Port offers handling all types of cargo."