The final lift for Crane 11 at Skeppsholmspiren

After more than half a century at the Port of Uddevalla, Crane 11 has made its final lift.

The crane was built in 1969 and has worked hard at Skeppsholmspiren ever since, with the pier itself opening shortly afterwards. Since 1992, the four port cranes standing side by side have become a familiar and almost iconic part of the Port of Uddevalla skyline.

But after 57 years, Crane 11 has well exceeded its expected service life. Maintenance requirements have increased, and the costs have eventually become too high to justify keeping it in operation. Naturally, there is a touch of nostalgia in seeing such a familiar part of the port skyline disappear.

At the same time, a lot has changed since this crane was built. New investments in the port mean that we can handle cargo far more efficiently today. Put simply, our new crane can handle around three times as much cargo as Crane 11 in the same amount of time. That says quite a lot about how far things have come in more than half a century!

The dismantling of the crane is now underway. It is being cut into sections, which will then be divided into smaller pieces so they can be transported away from Skeppsholmspiren.

An era has come to an end – but another has just begun.