A NEW crane worth £3m is set to give the booming bulks business a lift at Southampton docks.

It’s the latest expansion of Solent Stevedores’ 20-year agreement with port owner ABP, which was extended two years ago to include the King George V dry dock area to cope with a surge in business to more than one million tonnes a year.

Meanwhile the container terminal continues to turn the corner after last year’s slump, with feeder shipping service X-Press Container Line opening its second new service in as many months.

It’s a fixed route connecting Southampton with Gothenburg in Sweden and Antwerp in Belgium, with the first vessel, MV Gerd Sibum, already under way.

It comes just weeks after X-Press doubled the frequency of its services to Greenock in Scotland. The line also runs routes from Southampton to Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

Bulks, the fourth largest sector at the port after cruise ships, cars and containers, covers anything from scrap metal and recycled glass for export to imports of animal feed and fertiliser.

The new Gottwald mobile harbour crane, the third at the bulks dock, will increase the speed of operations by a third and provide the ability to handle more ships.

Stuart Cullen, owner and managing director of Solent Stevedores, said: “A great deal of thought and energy has gone into expanding and improving the bulk terminal business since operations began in 2000, and we have enjoyed a close and productive relationship with ABP and the Port of Southampton in general.”

Doug Morrison, port director of ABP Southampton, said: “ABP believes in supporting the bulks business, an area that has great potential for growth.

“The arrival of this new crane demonstrates our determination to increase bulk trade through the port.”