26
RO RO
They say that there’s never a good time to invest in new tonnage and nowhere is that better illustrated than on the UK’s main ro ro routes. Many of the major carriers invested heavily in new ferries during the previous decade, only for the market to take a dive in 2008/09. However, the new vessels should put them in a good position to take advantage of the upturn – when it comes.
00302 EXPORT ADVERT_Layout 1 24/05/2011 10:58 Page 1
P&O Ferries freight director Ronny Daelman says that the new Dover-Calais ship has gone down “really well” with freight drivers and the travelling public and that he is looking forward to the
introduction of a sister ship in early to mid-September. The new ship offers a totally different travelling experience, not only from other ships on the route but also the Channel Tunnel, he says. “It gives
drivers the chance to stretch their legs and take a proper break, rather than sitting in a shuttle wagon.” The new ship does inject a significant amount of new capacity onto the Dover-Calais route of
GRANGEMOUTH BURNTISLAND KIRKCALDY DUNDEE ROSYTH LEITH METHIL TILBURY FORTHPORTS
SCOTLAND’S LOGISTICAL GATEWAY
around 172-175 freight units compared with the old Pride of Dover – now withdrawn – and the sister ship will do the same in the autumn when she replaces the Pride of Calais. It’s not the easiest of markets in which to be introducing a substantial slug of new capacity, but it should put P&O Ferries in a good position to meet future growth, says Ronny Daelman. “Yes, the market at the moment is at best static, and it’s also become less predictable. But you buy ships for 20-25 years and the old ones are coming to the end of their lives in Europe, at least. Moreover, the lower ships offer much lower operating costs per unit, reduced fuel consumption and less pollution.” P&O will still have half a dozen ships on the Dover-Calais route but the two ‘Pride’ ships will probably be looking for fresh pastures. They could be sold or chartered out, but using them on new P&O routes is another possibility. North Africa, particularly Morocco with its booming produce exports to Europe, is a promising area. Despite their greatly enhanced
ISSUE 4 2011 New ferries offer step-change on the Channel Spirit of Britain set to rejuvenate P&O’s prospects
commercial interests without any form of control by the Government.”
capacity, the new ships’ fuel and operating costs are scarcely higher than those of the ships they replace, so if P&O can fill any of the extra capacity, it will in effect be a bonus and it also means that it will be in a good position to take advantage of any recovery in the market. Before the recession bit, the market was growing at around 3-5% a year. The new ferries have been purposefully designed to use existing terminals at Dover and Calais. All bets are off as to when the port of Dover will have its ‘Terminal 2’ ready as planned privatisation has been put on hold while the Government carries out a consultation of the future of the Trust ports.
“I wish the Government would
get on with the debate about Dover,” says Daelman. One point about the Tunnel, he says, is that it is a potentially very fragile link to the Continent. If something goes wrong with a ferry or a berth, it puts only part of the operation out of action. A serious incident like a fire has the potential to put the entire tunnel out of operation, at least for a while.
If and when the port of
FORTHPORTS.CO.UK CALL US: 01324 668 400 EMAIL US:
MARKETING@FORTHPORTS.CO.UK
Dover is privatised, he adds, “it’s too important to hand over to
P&O Ferries’ other routes are generally doing well, Daelman continues. The freight-only Tilbury- Zeebrugge route has gained from “a slight modal shift” due to the cost of fuel, which has made companies consider long ferry crossings and unaccompanied operation for all but the most urgent cargo. Trailers can be dropped off at the Belgian port, ferried across overnight and picked up again the next day a matter of a few miles from London and the M25. It’s a two-ship service at the moment, and with business booming, P&O is looking to replace existing vessels with larger ones, rather than add more ships and sailings. At the moment, there is plenty of suitable tonnage available, operators having put in plenty of orders during the recent boom. “There is plenty of tonnage around, though we’re not keen on the older stuff because of the fuel costs and emissions levels,” says Daelman. He predicts that P&O may make its move in the third or fourth quarter of the year. Most of P&O Ferries North Sea services are also booming. Freight capacity on the routes from
Rotterdam Europort and
Zeebrugge into Hull are quite tight. “It’s actually rather strange in today’s market, but we’re certainly pleased at the way it has developed.” However, P&O is not rushing into adding new tonnage to the route just yet.
Another service that “still needs a bit of work” are the northern services into Teesport. This route is currently operated an an every other day basis to Rotterdam, albeit with a slightly bigger ship than previously. There are encouraging signs in that the steel and chemicals industries on Teesside have seen a revival, and P&O has also picked up some Scottish business after the reduction in frequency in the Norfolk Line and latterly DFDS service from Rosyth to Zeebrugge. There is still speculation about the future of this route, Daelman says, and meanwhile P&O is picking up some of the slack.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32