UK NORTH EAST\\\


Teesside’s glass is more than half full


When one door closes, another open, as the optimists put it and the closure of the huge SSI steelworks in Redcar, adjacent to Teesport, could certainly be seen in that light. On 10 July, the South Tees Development Corporation submitted plans for a 4.5 million sq ſt manufacturing space on the site which will create 9,000


permanent jobs, it said. The huge scheme, led by Tees Ben Houchen,


Valley Mayor


would see more than 430 acres of land alongside the River Tees remediated and developed into “a world-class manufacturing zone” with the first tenants taking space as soon as 2022. Three months previously,


the Mayor secured the former steelworks through a Compulsory purchase Order. He described it as “the biggest planning application in the North of England.” “When I started CPO


proceedings against SSI and the three Thai banks, I was clear that we owed it to the former steelworkers and their families to secure the site for the people of Teesside so that we could redevelop it and see jobs return to the site. “This planning application


Issue 6 2020 - Freight Business Journal


represents a huge step forward in reaching this goal and represents a modest portion of the site, while creating many thousands of jobs, which shows why this site is so important – not just to Redcar and Cleveland but to the future success of our whole region. “This game changing proposal


represents by far the largest development announced to date for the former steelworks and will see a key part of the site brought back into meaningful use. To give this some scale, it is more than three times the size


Port of Tyne turns the corner


Freight traffic through the Port of Tyne has recovered pretty well from the corona crisis, says chief operating officer, Mel Brockhouse. “The biggest issue now for us are cruise ships which were, and remain suspended,” he told FBJ in an interview. However, the regular DFDS


ferry service to Amsterdam (IJmuiden) has made a welcome return and is now carrying near-normal freight volumes, along with passengers, although numbers are limited by social distancing requirements. Brockhouse explains:


“We were delighted with the response of our colleagues and customers to the crisis. We had a few people who had to shield, in line with government advice, but generally, the impact has been quite low and it’s not had a big impact operationally.” Meanwhile, the port also


has some exciting news to report. Energy firms Equinor and SSE Renewables, the two companies behind the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, announced plans in May to build a new operations and maintenance (O&M) base at the Port of Tyne. Construction of the Dogger


Bank wind farm, which will be able to generate around 5% of the UK’s electricity needs, began in January 2020. The new multi-million pound


facility at Tyne Dock, which includes both office space and a warehouse, will be the onshore base for Equinor’s teams and, it says, is expected to generate over 200 direct jobs in the region, as well as opportunities for companies in the supply chain. The main recruitment activity will begin in early 2022


and ramp up as the project nears operation, with the first phase due to begin producing electricity in 2023. Senior vice president for


Equinor’s North Sea New Energy Solutions, and chair of Renewable UK Stephen Bull, said: “The North East has a strong industrial heritage and a supply area that


stretches


north and south of the River Tyne. With a strong low-carbon vision for the future, as well as


a vision to become one of the most environmentally sustainable ports in the UK by 2030. Offshore wind is a key component of that strategy and this announcement is a huge step towards developing a cleaner future for the Port, the region and for industry in the North East.” Brockhouse adds that the


new base should be operational from 2023. Meanwhile,


he continues,


Brockhouse explains. “Again, this business is getting back to normal.” Tyne can offer a range


of logistics and transport solutions, including container transport for the local region. Unusually for a port operator, it has a fleet of 30 container trucks. “It works for us and our customers as it allows us to give a quick response,” Brockhouse explains. Space for other businesses


and activities is available, he adds. Tyne is also continuing


to run its Innovation Hub, which brings together businesses and academics from various industries, such as space, defence, renewable energy, the rail industry, the RAF,


data


targets to become net zero in its own operations by 2030, the Port of Tyne is clearly well set up to attract future investments which we hope will complement our activities.” SSE Renewables director of


capital projects, Paul Cooley, pointed out: “The base will bring significant socio-economic benefits to the local area during construction and throughout the project’s lifetime, as we have seen on our previous offshore wind projects.” Port of Tyne chief executive


Matt Beeton described the project as “a very important milestone in attracting such leading names in offshore power generation to the port but it’s also extremely important for the wider region in terms of local supply chain and employment opportunities. The port recently launched its


‘Tyne 2050’ plan with


container traffic through Tyne did take something of a dip during the height of the Covid pandemic. However, with manufacturing in most Asian and other overseas countries getting back to normal, there has been a strong recovery and this is reflected in traffic levels. There was also a rise in


imports of wood pellets, very likely as a result of increased electricity consumption as people stayed at home during the lockdown, and this has helped compensate for the fall- off in containers. Tyne is also a major hub for


Nissan’s car plant in nearby Sunderland – both inbound and outbound. The port also stored


container-loads of products for a number of well-known retailers. “We were able to act as a buffer for the retailers as demand slowed down,”


science and and IT,


to collaborate, share ideas, concepts


strategies.


Managed by technology and transformation director, Dr Jo North, it is the UK’s first 2050 Maritime working


Innovation alongside Hub partners,


which include PD Ports, Royal HaskoningDHV, Nissan and the Department for Transport. The hub celebrated its first


birthday on 18 August, marked with an appropriate virtual innovation sprint event, on Zoom. Senior delegates from


across industry and academia explored how the Port of Tyne’s Innovation Hub could evolve to deliver even greater value. Over the past 12 months, the 2050 Maritime Innovation Hub has hosted over 20 events, welcoming hundreds of businesses and academics from diverse industries—including space, defence, renewable energy, the rail industry, the RAF, data science and artificial


Happy return to the Tyne


The Port of Tyne welcomed the return of the DFDS ferry service from Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) on 16 July. The route had been suspended since the start of the UK lockdown in March. The route will operate daily, though with a reduced passenger


capacity to ensure social distancing. Measures will also be in place


at check-in including social distancing measures, screens for port and Border Force employees, hand sanitiser stations and increased cleaning of the terminal.


of the new Amazon fulfilment centre that opened in Darlington earlier this year.” MP for Redcar and South Tees


Development Corporation Board Member, Jacob Young, pointed out that the application, large as it is, only represents around a tenth of the total space available on the former steel works. The Mayor has meanwhile


launched consultation on the Net Zero Teesside (NZT) project which aims to develop the UK’s first zero-carbon industrial cluster.


intelligence - to share ideas, concepts and strategies. The Hub’s events programme has also included a hackathon and an Innovation Live forum, where high tech start-ups pitched their business ideas to win funding. It was launched in direct


response to the government’s Maritime 2050 strategy, which called for ports in the UK to become more innovative and to open centres of excellence to support this growth. Port of Tyne was first to act, opening its hub within six months. Dr Jo North said: “We are very


proud to have been the first port in the UK to act positively and we are now reaping the benefits, with strong partnerships being forged and the chance to explore new initiatives to boost our business. Our vision to become fully carbon neutral by 2030 is a big step closer and all this has been achieved under


19 This major initiative, by five of


the world’s largest oil companies, will use Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage to take up to ten million tonnes of CO2 each year, that would otherwise be spewed out into the atmosphere, from heavy


industry and


power plants and transport it by pipeline to storage sites several miles under the North Sea. During the construction


phase, the project could support up to 5,500 direct jobs and a direct annual gross benefit of up to £450million for the region.


exceptional conditions, with the Innovation Hub migrating to host virtual events with Zoom when it was no longer possible to meet in person.” In addition to raising


awareness about how the maritime industry can benefit from advanced technology and innovation techniques, the initiative has led to new business opportunities at the port, including the Dogger Bank O&M base. Matt Beeton, said: “We all


want a green recovery and ports have a very important role to play, as catalysts for economic development in the north east and also nationally. But


to do that, we need to


learn from great minds and technology innovators. The 2050


Maritime Innovation


Hub creates opportunities to collaborate and learn, allowing us to stay at the forefront of maritime innovation.”


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