Associated British Ports has invested in a new marine deck crane aboard Spartina, one of the Port of Southampton’s operational workboats, strengthening marine capability and supporting safe, efficient harbour operations. The HS.Marine AK 30 HE4 deck crane was supplied, installed and commissioned by Southampton-based specialist Marine Cranes, replacing the vessel’s existing crane at the end of its operational life. Marine Cranes developed a bespoke adaptor solution enabling the new crane to be fitted using the existing foundation and bolting features, avoiding any structural modification to the vessel. The project drew on specialist support from several local businesses across fabrication, naval architecture and marine survey services, illustrating the depth of the Solent maritime supply chain. The new crane delivers a safe working load of 1,050kg at a maximum outreach of 14.66 metres and incorporates features designed for demanding marine environments, including hydraulically continuous slew capability, radio remote control and a flame-metallised finish for long-term corrosion protection. Following installation, the crane was load tested to 125% of its safe working load aboard Spartina, witnessed by the certifying authority surveyor and the vessel’s Master. Ben Pym, Managing Director of Marine Cranes, noted ABP’s clear requirement for a high-quality, reliable and low-through-life-cost asset, confirmed by an ABP visit to the factory during the build. Chris Evans, Marine Maintenance Team Lead at ABP Southampton, described the investment as essential to maintaining the safe and efficient marine operations that support the UK’s leading gateway for global trade and Europe’s leading cruise turnaround port, which handles GBP 65 billion of goods annually. The post ABP Southampton installs new marine deck crane appeared first on Container News .