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Kingston University in London chooses Engie for a contract worth £195m

The Kingston University in London (UK) has entrusted the French group Engie with renovations and the future energy management and monitoring across the sites with a contract worth £195 million (around € 222 million). Out of this amount, £55 million will be spent on redesign and refurbishment of 1332 university chambers, followed by a 50-year facilities management and lifecycle contract worth further £140 million. Engie will also take an equity stake in the refurbishment project, alongside infrastructure investment firm, Equitix.

The work will start in June 2019 and should be completed in August 2021.

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RRC receives the first Demag AC 300-6 of the United Kingdom

The British premium crane service provider for mobile cranes RRC Cranes Hire Ltd, with Road Rail Cranes Ltd, has just extended its fleet with a new Demag AC 300-6 all terrain crane, unseen in United Kingdom. This 300t model (350 US ton) combined strength with the ability to lift 15t on a full meter boom. “Since adding our first specialized crane in early 2013, we’ve worked hard to build an impeccable reputation for network rail infrastructure,” said Ian Cross, managing director for RRC. “From the very beginning, we knew the company would be successful if we employed highly trained operators and equipped them with quality and innovative equipment. The Demag AC 300-6 all terrain crane exemplifies those standards and will be a great addition as we continue to grow as a company.” In total, RRC Group owns and operates more than 24 Terex and Demag cranes.

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Port of Antwerp prepares for the impact of Brexit

The Antwerp Port Authority is taking various initiatives in order to be fully prepared for Brexit including the appointment of Justin Atkin, owner of Ragged Edge Consulting, as the new representative for the UK and Ireland. With more than 20 years of experience in transport, shipping and logistics, Atkin assumed his role on 1 September 2018.

“The UK was always a self-evident market for us. Brexit brings new challenges for us, and our new representative will act as our eyes and ears, keeping us in touch with the economic situation and the impact of Brexit on Antwep’s business. We also count on Justin to place Antwerp even more strongly on the map for the UK and Ireland, and to attract new sources of cargo and investment, “ explained Wim Dillen, Regional Development Manager at Antwerp Port Authority.

With an annual freight volume of around 15 million tonnes the UK is the port of Antwerp’s third-largest maritime trading partner after the USA and Russia. According to the Port Authority, Antwerp is also ideally situated as an investment location close to the European centres of decision-making, and as the gateway to Europe from where the continent can be served quickly and efficiently, given that 50% of UK production is bound for continental Europe.

“The actual impact of Brexit is still uncertain,” said Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Antwerp Port Authority. “Last year there was a decrease of nearly 8% in trade with the UK, probably due to this uncertainly. But with Brexit rapidly approaching we want to concentrate on maintaining and even expanding our market position within the United Kingdom.”

Other initiatives being taken by the Port Authority include Brexit taskforce that has been set up with representatives of the port community, Customs & Excise and the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain.

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Mammoet UK expands with new Teesside office

In order to support the company’s growth and increase the number of upcoming projects in the UK, Mammoet has just opened a new office in the Teesside are near Middlesbrough. More than 180 employees are active on this 6-acre structure (approximately 2.42 hectares), which consists of offices, storage, workshop space, training facilities and testing areas.

The company has also chosen to invest in new mobile cranes and specialist project equipment to be able to meet the future developments and demands of the UK market.

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New compact track loader for the Blackpool Zoo in England

The Blackpool Zoo, located in the seaside resort of Blackpool in the north of England, has purchased a Bobcat T590 compact track loader for its new Project Elephant, a state-of-the-art pavilion that has been built to house a breeding herd of Asian Elephants. Thanks to the low ground pressure and stability of the tracked undercarriage, the new T590 has proved to be the right machine for working on the deep fine sand that covers a large part of the floor surface of the new elephant enclosure.

“The machine will be used for hay and straw unloading, feed deliveries and moving animal crates, grounds work in the animal paddocks and clearing out animal bedding as well as maintenance work around the Zoo ground,” says Zoo’s Head Keeper, Luke Minns.

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Port of Dover chooses Konecranes for new Cargo Terminal

In March, Konecranes was selected to supply two Konecranes Gottwald Model 5 mobile harbor cranes for the Port of Dover’s new cargo facilities as part of the Dover Western Docks Revival (DWDR) development. The Model 5 mobile harbor cranes, which have a maximum lifting capacity of 125 t and an outreach of up to 51 m, operate with a hybrid drive technology that reduces fuel consumption and exhaust emissions while reducing noise pollution at the port. They will be used to handle mainly containers and palletised fruit on the new multi-purpose refrigerated cargo terminal, which is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2019. The DWDR is the largest single investment ever made by the Port of Dover and will ultimately be a very important instrument to cope with the constant increase in port traffic in the UK.

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Vertikal Days opens tomorrow

The largest lifting equipment event for the UK and Ireland will open its doors tomorrow, May 16th and Thursday, May 17th at Donington Park in Leicestershire. The 12th annual Vertikal Days, organised by our colleague Leigh Sparrow and his team, is a two day networking event for the access and lifting industry, with association and company meetings, seminars and workshops. 

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The UK’s largest flat-top crane in Heathrow airport

Since May 2017 the Arora Group, specialized in hotel construction, is building a new 14-storey hotel next to Terminal 2 of the Heathrow airport in London. To handle this works, a Linden Comansa 21LC750 tower crane is currently operating on the job site. The machine was supplied by rental company City Lifting, dealer of Linden Comansa in the UK, which installed a special model of the 21LC750 with a maximum load of 50 tons and a jib length of 55 meters. Endowing such capacities, this Linden Comansa flat-top crane is the largest one in the state.

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New oil discovery for SDX

British oil and gas company SDX Energy, which specializes in North Africa, has just announced that an oil discovery has been made on its Rabul 5 Well in the West Gharib Concession in Egypt. The well, drilled to a depth of 1609 m, has discovered about 46 m of net crude oil.

“We are pleased to continue our recent run of drilling success with this oil discovery at Rabul 5. This well encountered the thickest section of pay sands seen in the Rabul area to date, demonstrating the significant oil potential contained within the licence. We have further drilling activity planned for the concession over the coming months and we firmly believe that these activities will enable us to increase output from the licence and achieve our ambitious production plans for 2018.” : commented Paul Welsh, President and CEO of SDX.