Girl, 20, becomes UK's youngest crane driver sitting 110ft in the air every day

25 February 2024 , 20:33

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Mia made history by becoming the youngest female crane operator in Britain (Image: Lee McLean/SWNS)

Mia Allen has made history as she becomes the youngest female crane operator in Britain as she follows in the footsteps of her father.

Mia Allen, 20, from Grimsby, has taken after her dad Mark, who trained her to work at Immingham docks in Lincolnshire. Mia started as a port operative last year and quickly climbed the ranks to become a tier three crane operator for Associated British Ports. Her job involves spending long 12-hour shifts 110ft high in the air, loading and unloading cargo ships.

Her dad holds the record for 76 movements in an hour at the port. Mia said: "It's something that I would never have imagined I'd end up doing for work, but I'm glad I have because I love it." Mia is the youngest of three children, with her sister Billie, 24, working as a hairdresser while her brother Josh, 22, works in an office.

Despite not initially envisioning a career on the port, Mia admits she was the most likely of the three to follow in their dad's footsteps. She added: "I've always been the most like my dad, I was always into football and outgoing. My dad is very outgoing so I'm like him. He always said it was his dream for me to come and work here and for him to train me. He's very experienced, so I learnt from the best."

Mia has taken after her father, Mark, who has worked at the Grimsby site for years (Lee McLean/SWNS)

"Dad was really delighted when I passed the test. He's told me he's very proud of me. He worked Christmas Eve one year and we came in and sat in the lobby while he unloaded the ship. Now I'm here doing just that." Mia starts her work at 6am every day and is given her jobs for the day. Her job also includes driving the tugs that move containers around the port and the rubber tyred gantry cranes, which stack the containers.

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And when she is in ship to shore crane, she sits high up 110ft above the ground with a glass floor under her feet for hours at a time. Mia said: "It's good, you get to see so much, you get great views and you never get bored, it's very busy. I'm fine with heights, it doesn't bother me. It's just me in the crane and the deck man on the floor and we work together. I've got a great team around me and we all get along well. I just want to keep getting better and doing well and see where it takes me."

Mia's new line of work has her tipped as the youngest female crane operator in England (Lee McLean/SWNS)

Mia, who started working for ABP just over a year ago after leaving her job at a chippy, is the company's first ship to shore crane operator in the Humber region. And she hopes to inspire other girls to think about a career on ports, saying: "If you like a challenge and want a job with interest and opportunity then working in the port sector is perfect. Ports offer lots of different jobs and you don't need to have a maritime background."

Proud dad Mark said: "I'm extremely proud of Mia becoming the first ship to shore crane operator in the Humber. She's a very capable young woman and it was great I was able to train her. She's breaking down the barriers in showing that men and women can work in the ports sector. She's sailing along pursuing her dream and is not phased by anything, which brings me great joy watching her navigate her way through her career."

Simon Bird, regional director at ABP, said: "We're proud that she has achieved this milestone and look forward to more to come. We want to increase the number of women in the ports industry and are committed to promoting diversity and fostering inclusivity. We have initiatives aimed at improving recruitment to demystify what has been traditionally seen as a male operated world and have been the first port operator to introduce women's PPE. Our message is clear there are roles at the ports for women."

Ewan Gleadow