Morecombe Bay Port Chooses Michelin

The Peel Group company Heysham Port Ltd, operator of a fleet of 28 tugs that together perform in excess of 1,000 trailer movements per day whilst loading and unloading ships stopping in north west England en route to and from Belfast, Dublin, the Isle of Man and Warrenpoint, is making the switch to Michelin tyres. A total of six new Terberg RT222 tugs have joined the fleet fitted with Michelin X-Terminal T tyres specified as original equipment, with a further four on order for delivery in spring 2008. Heysham Port is also fitting X-Terminal T tyres to other tugs as wear dictates, with servicing work carried out by mobile support vehicles from ATS Euromaster and Tyrecraft.

“The fitment of Michelin rubber represents a completely fresh approach to our tyre policy and follows the successful trial of X-Terminal T tyres on one of our hardest working tugs,” said Phil Stride, maintenance manager at Heysham Port. “We previously operated a mixed tyre policy but are moving to standardise the fleet with Michelin, having decided that this tyre meets our requirements in terms of expenditure, lifespan and damage resistance,” he added.

Michelin’s X-Terminal T tyres are designed specifically for operation on tractor units used for short-distance trailer movements in ports and freight terminals, and are suitable for fitment in any axle position. They feature a unique blend of materials which deliver even tread wear and low operating costs in this punishing environment, with excellent machine and payload protection from shock and vibration. Tugs at Heysham Port are in operation 24 hours a day and in all weather conditions, supporting up to 10 visiting ships per day. One of the major obstacles they must contend with during each movement is driving over a variety of different surfaces, including concrete, asphalt, steel and grit. Prior to fitting Michelin tyres, Heysham Port had incurred frequent tyre damage as a result of tugs running over such surfaces whilst operating on-board vessels.