The boom of a Morris crane collapsed at the DP World Southampton container terminal on 13 July, seriously injuring the operator and bringing operations at the port to a halt. Jay Squibb, the operator, is in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

In an email to members, PSS head Nigel Parfitt, said: ”Although it is too early to be sure of the exact cause of failure of the Morris dockside crane at Southampton on 13 July, 2009, there are questions about any dockside crane that has a tubular collared or sleeved backstay, particularly where final assembly has taken place on site and welding has taken place in wet weather or the welding allows water ingress.

“The particular Morris crane involved in the incident was installed in 1993, and although there are few if any identical designs in the UK, there may be others worldwide. As a precautionary measure it may be advisable for users of any Morris dockside crane to have the backstays Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) tested for reassurance.”

DP World Southampton said it has suspended the operation of three further Morris cranes of the same design until “thorough inspections and analysis can satisfy concerns over these cranes”. It restarted operations during the night shift on 13 July, using four Liebherr super post-panamax cranes and two further models from Paceco.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is now searching out any Morris cranes in operation in the UK so “additional information can be made available to users on possible safety issues”.

HSE has issued a request for information to the ports industry on the whereabouts of any Morris cranes. An email, again sent by Parfitt, details the HSE’s request.

The email reads: “Following the HSE and industry investigation into the collapse of a container handling crane at Southampton Container Terminal on Monday 13th July, 2009, the HSE is seeking information on the existence and whereabouts of any type of Morris cranes, so that additional information can be made available to users on possible safety issues.

“In October [2008], PSS was asked by the HSE to request information from our members on Morris cranes. The response from the ports industry was very good, and supplemented the HSE’s existing list. We are now requesting an update, and any additional information on where there definitely (or might be) Morris cranes in the UK.

“It has been suggested that there might be Morris cranes at Grangemouth and Liverpool – if there are, the HSE would appreciate any information. These could be a completely different type of crane, not rail mounted gantry cranes, but still worth knowing about.”

The request for information in October 2008 followed the collapse of a Morris dockside crane at the Southampton terminal on 18 January, 2008. As a result, HSE called for information on any Morris ship-to-shore cranes built in the early 1990s and whether any modifications had been carried out.

The crane involved in that incident was manufactured in 1993, had a reach of 45m, an SWL of 50t and could lift 70t at 29m reach.

DP World Southampton said the cause of the January 2008 and July 2009 incidents are “unlikely” to be similar based on the position of the crane at the time of the boom collapse.