Plant, Equipment & Site Operations
DURHAM LIFTING SUPPORTS NEW CHAPTER FOR HISTORIC PALLION SHIPYARD
North East lifting specialist supports the return to operation of the historic Sunderland shipyard, providing crane servicing, maintenance and specialist lifting equipment as industrial activity returns to the site.
Durham Lifting is supporting the return to operation of the historic Pallion Shipyard in Sunderland, providing specialist lifting equipment and servicing expertise as activity once again returns to a site with a significant industrial and shipbuilding heritage.
The former shipyard is now being used to store significant volumes of specialist beams, with three full lines of beams arriving at Pallion before being prepared for onward movement. Supporting an operation of this scale requires lifting infrastructure that is safe, compliant and ready for the demands being placed upon it. This is where Durham Lifting’ s Service Division has played an important role.
Bringing Pallion Shipyard Back Into Operation Central to the operation are two existing cranes within the historic shipyard building. Following a significant period of downtime at the facility, the cranes had not been operating under the demands now being placed upon them. Bringing the building back into active industrial use therefore required more than simply switching the equipment back on.
Durham Lifting’ s Service Division has worked with Colin and the team at Pallion to assess the existing crane infrastructure and carry out the servicing, maintenance and remedial work required to bring the cranes back to their current operational condition.
The team’ s involvement has helped ensure the equipment is safe, compliant and capable of supporting the lifting activity now taking place within the facility.
Durham Lifting has also supplied lifting equipment used for handling pipes, beams and other materials within the building, supporting the wider operation as activity at Pallion continues to develop.
For Durham Lifting, the project demonstrates the role its Service Division can play when businesses are bringing existing lifting infrastructure back into operation. Rather than simply supplying individual pieces of equipment, the team can assess what is already in place, identify servicing or remedial requirements and provide the ongoing technical support needed to help customers operate safely and efficiently.
That expertise is backed by more than 25 years of experience within the lifting industry.
From Thousands of Workers to a New Generation of Industry The scale of the building provides a reminder of what the site would once have looked like. At its height, thousands of people would have worked across the wider site, with vessels, cranes and heavy engineering forming part of everyday operations.
Today, seeing the cranes operating and materials moving through the building again has particular significance for Durham Lifting Director Amanda Gardiner, whose
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