1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192 
Hauliers search for port solutions
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
As costs from Southampton delays sky-rocket, a working party takes matters into its own hands. Chris Tindall reports.
OPERATORS HIT by the costs of delays at Southampton Container Terminal (SCT) have formed a working party to seek a solution to congestion at the port.
A CM investigation reveals that queuing at SCT costs the industry more than £23m a year (see page 29). Many operators say these delays are crippling their businesses, alleging that the port's operator is doing nothing to address the problem.
The new working party, which includes representatives from Dart Distribution, DHL and Maritime, Transport met last week to discuss SCT's replacement charging system for trucks. The existing Vehicle Booking System (VBS) is widely recognised as a failure by operators. who pay for the so-called fasttrack arrangement.
But SCT hopes to have the new system up and running before January. leaving very little time to discuss its viability.
Surprisingly. SCT representatives did not attend the meeting. A document outlining the VBS2 model was distributed but it raised more questions than it answered.
-There's clearly logic behind it but, quite frankly. it's lost on all of us," says Sarah Bell, partner for Moore Blatch Solicitors, who is providing legal advice to the working party. "If this is an explanation they obviously don't understand it t hemselves. The way forward is for the working party to ask pointed, nasty questions about the document."
A meeting with SCT is scheduled for 9 December, where solutions such as charging the port demurrage will also be discussed.
Nick Dyer, chairman of the working party and RHA area manager. is optimistic that the working party can find a solution. He adds:"It can't carry on the way it is-1 think the port feels the same. Whatever people might think, it is open to suggestions.