Peel Ports reaches 200 advocates milestone in bid for Liverpool deep-sea services
Peel Ports has met its target of securing 200 advocates for its campaign encouraging shipping lines to introduce direct deep-sea services to the Port of Liverpool.
The milestone was announced today (April 5) at Multimodal, almost exactly two years since the campaign was launched at the same event.
Bolton-based bread brand Warburtons and EMR joined Peel Ports to make the announcement and underline the benefits to cargo owners that ship goods to and from the north of the UK in particular.
The initiative was first launched in 2015, with Peel Ports calling for importers and exporters whose goods begin or end their journey in the north of the UK to switch delivery of ocean freight from south-east ports to the centrally-located Port of Liverpool.
Shippers of goods that start or end their journey in the north can reduce the costs to UK plc by £200m annually. The initiative aims to cut freight mileage by 200 million miles by 2020.
Peel Ports’ chief operating officer, Patrick Walters said: “We set out two years ago with an ambitious aim of recruiting 200 advocates for direct deep-sea services via Liverpool.
“Logistics providers and cargo owners want to reduce costs, congestion and carbon emissions in their supply chains, and their support for us underlines the benefits offered by our new Liverpool2 deep-water container terminal.
“The 1.5m TEU managed by these companies is a huge attraction for whichever shipping lines are the first to move.”
Bob Beard of Warburtons said: “To support the long term growth of our business, it is essential that we can import our raw materials in the most efficient way possible. Being able to have direct access via Liverpool makes complete business sense.”
Andrew Brady, chief operating officer of European Metal Recycling, which has a major base at the Port of Liverpool, said: “As a global leader in metal recycling, and the largest scrap exporter in the UK, having a robust supply chain is essential to our business.
“The development of Liverpool2 provides us with a new opportunity to export via the North West which is a key location for our business, allowing us to potentially diversify our supply chain and therefore reduce road and rail miles, whilst reducing carbon emissions and cost.”
Having now met the target for recruiting 200 supporters, Peel Ports aims to continue amassing advocates, further strengthening the business case for a more efficient UK supply chain centred on the North West.
