Pupils see cranes named after Taylor Swift and Usain Bolt

Avaleigh Lang and Frances McFadden, both aged 11, were winners of a competition to name two new cranes at the Port of Greenock.

The pair were given a tour of the port by Peel Ports Clydeport to see the 72-metre structures and their personalised ceremonial plaques.

Avaleigh Lang and Frances McFadden were joint winners of a competition to name two new cranes (Image: Steve Welsh) Avaleigh, from Lady Alice Primary, named hers 'Craner Swift' in honour of US pop star Taylor Swift.

Frances, from St Mary's Primary School, chose 'U-Crane Bolt' as a tribute to Jamaican Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt.

READ MORE: Greenock girls on a high after winning Peel Ports 'name a crane' contest

The girls were chosen as joint winners of the competition, which asked pupils to come up with imaginative names for the £25m ship-to-shore cranes.

Avaleigh, a primary seven pupil said: "The plaque is really cool.

"I'm a big Taylor Swift fan, and I'm really pleased people liked the name so much."

Avaleigh Lang was inspired by Taylor Swift when she named her crane (Image: Steve Welsh) Frances, also in primary seven, added: "I really enjoyed the tour and it's great to think that plaque will be up there for years to come."

Jim McSporran, port director at Peel Ports Clydeport, said: "It was a pleasure to welcome Avaleigh and Frances to the port to show them the cranes for the first time.

"We've had such a positive response to the two names, and it was great to show them both their personalised plaques with their name on them, which will rightly be on these cranes for decades to come.

READ MORE: 'We want Greenock to be best port in Scotland' says Peel Ports boss

"Craner Swift and U-Crane Bolt are having a real impact already, significantly expanding our freight capability, as well as improving efficiencies and reducing our carbon emissions, so there's a lot to be positive about at the Port of Greenock."

The naming competition was run in partnership with Inverclyde Council.

Frances McFadden named her crane after Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt (Image: Steve Welsh) Dozens of suggestions were entered by pupils across the local area for the competition, with the port operator then choosing the winning entries from this list.

The cranes arrived at the port in June this year and have been fully operational since July following stringent testing.

The port operator believes the cranes will help accommodate increased demand from cargo owners, and support growth in transatlantic trade, as well as future proof the port.