Belfast Harbour has made a further upgrade to its port infrastructure with the delivery of a new £4.5m mobile bulk crane that will operate at Stormont Wharf.

The Liebherr LHM 550, which landed last week, forms part of £208m committed to Developing & Improving the Port under the five‑year 'Advance Regional Prosperity' strategy and Horizon 1 of the 2050 Masterplan, due to be launched later this month.

Built by Liebherr in Rostock, Germany, the crane can run on either electrical power or HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) fuel. It will initially be fuelled by HVO; once additional electrical infrastructure is installed, it will be able to operate fully on electricity with zero emissions.

The investment will enhance performance, resilience and reliability for customers at the deep‑water Stormont Wharf, with capability to work across a broad range of vessels and cargo types. Belfast Harbour is Northern Ireland's leading gateway and a key hub for trade and tourism, handling 70% of the region's seaborne imports and exports and 25% of the island's seaborne trade. The port processes £26.7bn of goods annually, enabling almost 16% of Northern Ireland's total economic output and contributing £8.8bn in Gross Value Added (GVA) each year through trade activity alone.

Cargoes such as grain, animal feeds and coal account for around 25% of Belfast Harbour's imports and exports, and the new crane will further strengthen the port's resilience and efficiency in handling these products for local importers and exporters.

Michael Robinson, Port Director at Belfast Harbour, said: "The purchase of this new bulk crane is the latest investment supporting our commitment to advance regional prosperity and continuously modernise our crane fleet. By working with our port customers and responding to their needs we are confident that this investment will help to improve the efficiency and resilience of cargo operations as well as supporting our sustainability goals.

"Strengthening port infrastructure and safeguarding the port's role as a vital economic gateway is the cornerstone of our 2050 Masterplan, which we will launch later this month. The arrival of this crane is another milestone and a further step in our long‑term investment programme."