Mersey downbeat 20


Ever since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the FBJ inbox has been stuff ed with stories about freight operators, airlines and shipping lines striving to get vital supplies to where they’re needed, oſt en in the face of extreme diffi culty – probably a dozen or more every day. But there is one exception.


News reaches us from Liverpool, where P&O Ferries says that one of its ro-pax vessels, the Norbay,


was prevented from sailing on 16 April aſt er Peel Ports arrested the ship for non-payment of almost £600,000 in port dues. P&O had disputed the amount,


saying the real fi gure was much lower than that demanded and that it had been in discussions with the port authorities. However, P&O’s key contact was then furloughed and Peel Ports had port neglected to tell them before then “unnecessarily” escalating


matters without any reasonable warning or proper procedure. P&O Ferries says that the was


Norbay carrying food,


medicine and other supplies between Liverpool and Dublin. A spokesman for P&O said: “We


have been in open discussions since this crisis began with all of our ports and network to ensure that we can manage payments while everyone deals with this unprecedented situation. We had


An upliſt ing story


At the height of the COVID-19 crisis, Steve Williams, operations director at Portsmouth stevedore Portico, swapped his offi ce for the cab of one of the port’s cranes to help keep cargo moving. Having taken a refresher


course and following approval from an instructor, he passed his competency test, allowing him to drive cranes once again. Williams said: “It’s been a while


since I’ve been in this position. The last time was when I was in a previous role at Immingham Port. But it feels so familiar now I’m doing it again.” “It’s important that we’re all able


to provide the support needed to keep critical supply routes moving. I’m pleased I can play my part and help the team around me who are all working so hard.”


Rail operator steps in to save the spaghetti harvest


Germany rail operator DB Schenker has moved ten train wagon loads of pasta at short notice from Italy to replenish over 650 Aldi supermarkets in southern Germany. The 500-pallet consignment was carried directly from the


supplier’s production plants in Italy in a multimodal transport solution involving trucks and freight trains. After cross- docking, the pasta continued its journey via trucks to 10 regional Aldi distribution centres to 50- 70 supermarkets.


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As fans of the respected BBC


Panorama programme will know, the short growing season for spaghetti in Italy meant that the forwarder had to move swiftly to ensure that this year’s harvest was not allowed to rot on the trees.


p


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Issue 3 2020 - Freight Business Journal


asked for fl exibility in the time required to pay but the Liverpool port refused to respond, even though we were committing to full payment. “Then we learned that our point


of contact had been furloughed and they didn’t tell us.” P&O accused Peel Ports –


owners of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company – as behaving irresponsibly at a time of national crisis.


A Peel Ports spokesperson said in response there were some


///FREIGHT BREAK


factual inaccuracies in the P&O Ferries account, adding: “The Port of Liverpool plays a vital role in many critical supply chains from all over the world, handling products needed in the medical & healthcare sector, food industry and energy generation. “Customers who refuse to pay


their bills put these other supply chains at risk. Any decision to detain a vessel is always taken as a last-resort and only when there is a signifi cant debt to repay.” The spokesperson added:


“While we understand that we are in unprecedented times, the UK Government has announced multiple fi nancial interventions that will support companies with short-term funding issues as a result of Covid-19. These should be used, as opposed to passing the cash-fl ow risk along the supply chain. “Other ferry services from to both Dublin and


Liverpool


Belfast continue to operate, with multiple departures per day and spare capacity.”


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