Minister frees up Dover funding Shipping and Ports Minister


Stephen Hammond set out a plan for the future of the Port of Dover on 9 April, including new fund-raising powers. He said that discussions facilitated by the minister over how the port should best be run have resulted in a major step forward, and set out a plan that would enable the community and port to work together effectively, providing a catalyst for regeneration or the port and local area. Under the agreed plan, there


would be greater community involvement in the strategic leadership of the Trust port, with community non-executive directors added to the Board. There will also be greater financial powers for the Harbour Board, allowing it to enter joint ventures and borrow against its assets and raise substantial funds to invest in the future. A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesman said:


“The


investment this will help deliver should bring real benefits to the port, its customers and the local community. We cannot put a figure on exactly how much that would be at this stage, as it depends on circumstances.” The new arrangements


would apply only to Dover, and not necessarily other trust ports, said the DfT, which argued; “No


two trust ports are the same. The Government’s policy on trust ports is clear that each port will be approached on a case by case basis, and that is exactly what we have done at Dover. Stephen Hammond said:


“Dover is a thriving port with a proud history and I have set out changes to the port’s constitution and financial powers that will help it grow in the future, and put the community at the heart of decision-making at the port. I believe these steps are what is needed to secure a shared and enduring future for the port. I now urge the town and the port to work together to deliver its full potential.” There had been two rival


strategies for the port. Dover Harbour had been pursuing a privatisation plan, while a rival ‘Peoples’


Port’


decision-making at the port, by embedding the voice of the community in the Board itself.” A few weeks ago, the port


announced plans to develop its general cargo berths ahead of a longer-term scheme to build a second ro ro terminal. The move would keep the Harbour Revision Order for the new terminal ‘live’ while allowing existing operational areas of the port to be improved and reconfigured. Relations between the


scheme


envisaged retaining the trust port’s local control and ownership. The DfT spokesman said,


however: “This is a victory for Dover, not any individual or group. Aſter years of wrangling, Dover can finally start to now move forwards, with a shared vision for the future and a common strategy for how we can get there. This puts the community at the heart of


port and its ferry operator customers have been strained in recent years, with the ferry industry complaining that around £65 million earmarked for the new ferry terminal had instead been diverted to other uses. A P&O Ferries spokesman however gave the minister’s announcement a cautious welcome, saying: “The Minister seems to have reached a pragmatic compromise, removing the port’s rationale for privatisation by easing some of the financial restrictions that go with its Trust Port status. We note that the port


is to


divert some of its profits into a community fund and live in hope that one day we’ll see a return of the many millions of pounds that we provided to fund a non-existent new ferry


terminal.” The ports of Dover and


Calais recently signed up to the BRIDGE (Building the Resilience of International and Dependent Gateways in Europe) project at a joint event held in the French port., aiming to create a freight corridor combining road, rail


and maritime transport


between the UK, Northern France, Benelux and North-East Spain. It will build on the Calais Port 2015 scheme to develop a new harbour, including a further three cross-Channel berths and 80 hectares of new logistics platforms and a rolling motorway rail link to Perpignan in the south of France. Port of Dover chief executive, Tim Waggott, said: “BRIDGE recognises that, by collaborating, we can complement each other and enhance the resilience of this international trade route. We connect the UK and Ireland with the continental mainland, so it is essential that Dover works closely with our opposite numbers in Calais.” The BRIDGE project will in


the short term ensure that the two ports operate efficiently by enhancing berths to the highest technical standards as well as focussing on enhancement of local transport networks to improve resilience.


Cash promise for storm-hit ports


Stephen Hammond announced a £2 million fund to help smaller ports recover from the winter storms, at a British Ports Association lunch on 3 April. The BPA will be contacting all eligible ports with details and application forms shortly, he said. These will then be assessed by an independent panel, appointed by the BPA. He also promised money to


improve road access to ports through the Local Growth Fund, adding that forward looking Local Economic Partnerships, like Dorset, “have already started thinking about how the fund can improve access to ports.” He added that he would


consider the future of trust ports during the year and how this might need to alter in future, including how local communities and businesses can be involved


more closely with them. He would examine whether there was scope for greater use of private finance help trust ports develop further in future, adding: “There is no reason why trust ports, the larger ones in particular shouldn’t be an attractive proposition to lenders.” He said he understood


frustrations with how ports were classified under government accounting, saying: “We need to look further at how we ensure that access to capital is not stymied by bureaucratic accounting rules.” There could be innovative ways in which medium-sized and perhaps even smaller ports could benefit from greater access to private finance. The government report,


Modernising Trust Ports 2 is now five years old and needs reviewing, said the minister.


Another service for London Gateway


CMA CGM, CSAV and MSC are to call at London gateway as part of their revised North Europe to East Coast South America service. The route will be operated by eight 9,800teu ships and as well as London Gateway, also calls on the north Continent and then Itaguai, Santos, Paranagua, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio Grande and


Itapoa with return via Paranagua, Santos and Tangiers. It follows the news that Hamburg-


Sud and Hapag Lloyd are to transfer their services from Tilbury to DP World’s new London Gateway in May, including calls to and from South America East Coast, South America West Coast and India, Pakistan and Middle East.


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