More than a million cubic metres of material will now be moved by dredgers to clear a deep-water channel at the Port of Liverpool (United Kingdom), operated by Peel Ports.
The dredging work – funded by a £35 million UK Government Regional Growth Fund grant – will create a 16.5 metre deep berthing pocket to secure access to the developing Liverpool2 project.
This funding was awarded to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne last month (May 2013).
“This phase of the project marks the start of work on Liverpool2, our new £300m container terminal,” Mark Whitworth, chief executive of Peel Ports Group, parent company of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, said.
“Liverpool2 sends a fantastic message to shippers and the wider international trade world – namely, that Liverpool is investing heavily to secure their business now and in the future,” he said.
“The Port of Liverpool has already seen increased interest from shipping lines and cargo owners. Over the last 18 months APL, Evergreen and Zim have started to offer weekly feeder connections into Liverpool, whilst MSC and CMA have continued to grow their long-standing feeder volumes through the port.”
The Port of Liverpool carries more than 33m tonnes of cargo every year, and is the UK’s leading west coast port.
When completed in 2015, the Port’s deep-water container terminal will accommodate two of the new breed of post Panamax container ships at one time, and attract some of the world’s largest container vessels to a centrally-located UK distribution hub which boasts a population of 35 million consumers within a radius of 150 miles.
Footballing greats Sir Bobby Charlton and Kenny Dalglish were invited to launch the dredging operation in front of 300 VIP guests on June 6 to symbolise the benefits that Liverpool2, along with Peel Ports’ investments in facilities along the Manchester Ship Canal, will bring to Liverpool and Manchester.
The new Liverpool2 terminal is expected to create around 5,000 jobs in the region’s maritime community, and is anticipated to be open for business in 2015.
The maritime sector employs 28,000 people across 1,700 businesses in the Liverpool City Region, and contributes £2.6bn to the area’s annual economic output – 15 per cent of the total economic output for the region.
Peel Ports, which runs the Port of Liverpool and the linked Manchester Ship Canal, holds the Containerisation International Port Authority of the Year title for its work in Liverpool.
“This is the culmination of several years’ hard work, and our investment in Liverpool2 will make a huge difference to our commercial offer. This is private sector investment in the nation’s infrastructure, making the UK even more competitive internationally,” Mersey Ports managing director Gary Hodgson, said.
Half of the £300 million overall construction cost for Liverpool2 has been drawn from a 20-year European Investment Bank (EIB) loan.
“Expansion of the Port of Liverpool will increase access to global markets for companies across the North West in years to come,” EIB vice president Jonathan Taylor, added.
“The £150 million support provided by the European Investment Bank demonstrates our strong confidence in the project and reflects our broader commitment to provide long-term funding for transport infrastructure across the UK.”
“This project is good news for Merseyside and the North West, but also important to the UK as a whole. As well as creating 5,000 jobs, upgrading Merseyside’s maritime infrastructure demonstrates that this country is open for business, and ready to compete in the global race,” announcing the £35 million Regional Growth Fund investment in May, Chancellor George Osborne said.
Peel Ports won Port Authority of the Year for “its operations in Liverpool” at the 2012 Containerisation International Awards, held annually to honour the industry’s leading lights. Judges praised the company’s “heavy investment” and “progressive and innovative approach”.