The huge crane was in place for when South Approach Viaduct (SAV) sections weighing up to 381 tonnes each arrived at the construction site on Lake Lothing on Sunday evening on a barge from Ghent in Belgium.

The Terex Demag CC8800-1 has a maximum lifting capacity of 1,600 tonnes and is one of the largest crawler cranes in the world.

It was brought into Lowestoft from Copenhagen and off-loaded by the crane used to unload the northern approach sections that arrived from the Netherlands last month.

Assembly and testing of the crane took approximately 10 days and was overseen by main contractor Farrans who are constructing the £127m bridge for Suffolk County Council.

Neil Rogers, project director for Farrans Construction, said: “This week’s arrival of four large sections of the bridge is an important and busy time for our site team.

“A lot of planning takes place in advance of the sections being transported into Lowestoft and, once here, we will be beginning the process of lifting these elements into position almost immediately.

“To have one of the largest cranes in the world on site for this project is a fantastic learning opportunity for our apprentices, graduates and placements.”