8


Issue 8 2014 - Freight Business Journal


Short of trucks? Look North


///NEWS Liverpool opens plywood terminal


Liverpool Plywood Terminal opened on 31 October, six months aſter Peel Ports struck a deal with Westfal-Larsen Shipping to bring combined shipments of steel and plywood into the Port of Liverpool on a new Far East service. The 80,000sq ſt temperature- controlled quayside warehouse at Seaforth will radically reduce costs and increase efficiency for northern UK construction firms, says the port operator. Plywood is not manufactured in


Using ports in the north of England is one way of beating the truck shortage, suggests Peel Ports. A shortage of inland transport and increased waiting times for lorries at ports in the south of England has boosted container volume at its Port of Liverpool. It cites the example of Metro Shipping which over the past 12 months has transferred several high-profile retail customers from Felixstowe and Southampton to Liverpool


to


benefit from reduced inland haulage costs, especially for goods coming from the Far East and US. Metro Shipping handles over 80,000teu a year through the UK and works with a number of international retail chains. According


to Peel, some hauliers serving the southern


ports of Felixstowe and Southampton are demanding £200-plus surcharges for short notice bookings. Moreover, for North-west consignees, four drops a day are possible, compared with around four per week from southern ports.


l On 6 November, Transport


Minister John Hayes, visited the Port of Liverpool to view developments at the Liverpool2 container terminal, due to open in 2015. He said: “I am determined that we do everything possible to ensure our investment supports its continued growth, especially given the extra capacity that Liverpool2 will offer the supply chain, helping cargo owners to get their goods closer to destination markets.”


MacAndrews makes it four to Liverpool


CMA CGM’s short-sea operator MacAndrews is upping its service from Bilbao to Liverpool from three calls a week to four, having added a fourth vessel to its fleet. Liverpool will also be the first call on the new loop after departing from Bilbao; arrivals


in the port will now be on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. MacAndrews managing


director, Geoff Smith, said: “The Port of Liverpool provides a strong link in the UK consumer supply chain, and is an increasingly important entry


port for refrigerated


container movements of fresh produce to supermarket distributors. In addition to the growing volumes of general containerised cargo, it is this increasing sector of the market from Southern Spain into the northern half of the UK which is driving the expansion of MacAndrews’ services into the port.”


the UK and demand from builders and merchants is met entirely from imports,


predominantly


from the Far East via Tilbury. The product is then distributed


nationally by road or rail, adding cost and contributing to carbon emissions. Roy Merryweather, business


development manager at Peel Ports said: “This is an opportunity for us to increase our share of a growing market. The construction sector beyond London and the South-east is finally emerging from recession and expanding rapidly and as a result we have seen substantial UK-wide increase in demand for plywood. “The Liverpool Plywood


Terminal is a great supply chain solution because it allows imported plywood to be distributed to sites north of


Birmingham without costly road and rail transport, allowing our customers to benefit from substantial


cost and carbon savings. This dedicated new


terminal to the quayside will allow for fast and easy discharge of the bulk commodity.” The terminal will employ 30 existing members of staff.


Stena and Mann Lines to share space and ships


Baltic freight ro ro and logistics operator Mann Lines has signed a cooperation deal with ferry operator Stena Lines. Stena RoRo will also charter the ro ro vessel Stena Foreteller to Mann Lines from January 2015, replacing the current vessel, Estraden and giving Mann Lines about 30% extra capacity.


Mann Lines currently offers


a liner ro ro service between Harwich, Cuxhaven, Tallinn, Turku and Bremerhaven, along with a container service between Rotterdam and the Baltics. It also offers inland distribution and other logistics services. Under the deal, Mann will offer a fixed space charter to Stena Line


on its ship and will act as a sales agent for Stena Lines’ North Sea, Baltic and Scandinavian route network, though not specifically its Irish Sea routes. Stena Line’s business


development manager, Anders Peterson, said: “Mann Lines is a strong player within logistics and in business areas where we


are not as strong.” These include automotive, project loads and high and heavy cargo, he said. Mann Lines managing director, Bill Binks added that


it would


increase cargo flows for both companies. He said: “Stena Line is a perfect partner for us to cooperate with regarding cargo flows to and from the Benelux countries.”


All systems go in Sheerness


The port of Sheerness has unveiled plans to increase cargo throughput by 130% over the next 20 years under a new Master Plan. It also details investments that would create over 1,000 jobs in the marine and maritime industry, as well as options for a rail link to Port to Liverpool, which shares Sheerness’s ownership as part of the Peel Ports group. Sheerness


currently handles


around 1.3million tonnes of cargo a year but it says that industry forecasts show that this could increase by as much as 130% over the next 20 years, to 3.1 million tonnes. A rail freight link from


Sheerness to Liverpool could move new motor vehicles for export and import, creating around 1,250 direct, indirect and induced jobs by 2034.


The Master Plan is not a


statutory document but it will help to ‘future proof’ the port, says Peel. It identifies the amount of land needed to accommodate growth and explains how investment in new facilities will serve the growing steel, forest products and automotive sectors and allow for the upgrade of the infrastructure. Peel Ports is also continuing to explore


opportunities in the


renewable energy sector. Sheerness port director, Miles said:


Hearn, “The production


of the Master Plan is important, as it is part of our strategic commitment to develop and grow the Port of Sheerness over the next 20 years. It reflects Peel Ports’ long-term ambition to remain a key employer and driver for sustainable growth in the Swale region.”


Cardinal Maritime opens training academy


UK-based NVOCC Cardinal Maritime has opened a training academy to foster talent in the industry. The Cardinal Academy focuses not only on the training and development of its staff but also those of its clients, running regular courses on topics such as Incoterms, either at its head office in Manchester or at its customer’s sites in the UK or overseas. Cardinal is also engaging with


outside agencies such as Skills for Logistics in an advisory capacity,


by reviewing the new National Occupational Standards for NVQ in International Trade. Its ultimate aim is for the Academy to become a recognised accredited training provider in the logistics sector and it has been working closely with Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce to this end. According to the company,


there is a lack of quality, industry- specific training courses for the sector. Along with staff training, the


Cardinal Academy will identify and develop talented individuals. So far, ten members of staff have been identified as having potential and are currently preparing to start an Institute of Leadership and Management diploma. There is also a mentor


programme under which experienced


staff have the


opportunity to share their knowledge of the freight industry with younger members of


staff, who also have somebody with whom they can talk to in confidence about career decisions. Cardinal plans to measure the project aſter 12 months to see what impact it has had on staff morale and motivation. Cardinal Maritime has to date


invested £300,000 in setting up the Cardinal Academy and has committed a further £600,000 for training and development over the next five years.


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