Why cranes are disappearing from skyline at Port of Sunderland after more than 40 years

The cranes, which have stood on the quayside opposite the National Glass Centre for 40 years, have been superseded by new, more versatile replacements.

Business has been booming at the port in recent years, with new tenants including global maritime services giant Boskalis to sustainable recycling specialists Wastefront and Quantafuel.

And the site has even played host to filming of hit North East detective series Vera.

Last month came the news that multi-million pound plans to prepare land at the port for development had been given the go-ahead.

The final phase of the port’s Enterprise Zone enabling works, funded by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the former Hendon Sidings area has been renamed Trinity – Rail, Road & Sea.

Planning permission has been granted for a range of works that will see vital infrastructure installed to prepare the site for development. Work is expected to start shortly to get the 11-acre site ready for the arrival of developers in a wide range of industries.

Port director Matthew Hunt said the removal of the old cranes was a reflection of how the way in which the port works has changed and the move to open up more of the site to industrial development: “The port has invested in a fleet of new mobile cranes which, as we continue to increase our handling capabilities and bring more land to market to the east of the port, will play a key role in ensuring we continue to compete on a global stage,” he said.

“Naturally, the introduction of new fleet of mobile cranes has resulted in some of our existing craneage becoming redundant, such as the dockside cranes which were installed in 1982 to carry cargo from Coronation Quay via rails and have been non-operational for some time.

“Over the past few years, tens of millions of pounds have been invested into expanding the port and making it investment-ready, attracting businesses from across the globe and as we look to the future, we’re confident that the work being done to build on this will see Sunderland continue as a desirable port of call for years to come.”

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