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 
CROSSING THE OCEANS
Page 44
Page 45
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
How the recession has had an effect
The recession has bashed every industry, with road transport being one of the hardest hit. A knock-on effect of this has been felt at the UK's ports. Here's a round-up of how the ports and the companies that operate out of them are coping
Words: Cotin Barn
wilt come as
no surprise that the requirement for UK plc ) move goods in and out of the country is not at its highest level as we )ti thine to weather the recession.
As a result, the story from the ports is largely one of trying to maintain rviee levels while demand is reduced. Official combined figures from e Department for Transport for the third quarter aren't yet available, it those for Q2 showed that the total reduction in goods vehicle traffic ut of the UK had fallen by 19%.
One key indicator that gives some cause for hope, however, is that ad haulage vehicle movements through the Port of Dover were up
8% in the first nine months of this year, to 1,746,840, although largely at the expense of lire-hit Eurotunnel. The figures comparing monthly movements in 2008 are erratic, hut February. April and August this year saw significantly increased:yolutnes.oVer the same months 144 yp.gr. •
he big two operators
Of the traditional big two operators on the short crossing out of Dover, Seafrance's world has been overshadowed by its well-publicised restructuring and ongoing negotiations with trades unions over the levels of job cuts. As a result, it has been content to ride out the storm in readiness to face the recovery in a leaner, fitter form.
P&O is likewise marking time on the short DoverCalais crossing, but further up the Thames, it has seen increased demand for unaccompanied trailers on its Tilbury-Zeebrugge route. As a result, it has just replaced the small Norcape with the Norqueen, the sister ship of the current larger Norking. The ships, which have a capacity of 145 trailers each, will be operating together to complete one round trip most days.
Ports
Expenditure on improvements to port facilities is not a high priority in these times of reduced revenue but one location to buck the trend is Boulogne-sur-Mer. On 19 September it opened its brand new 20-hectare Hub Port terminal, the first phase in a 10-year, €240m (2.215m) project to establish Boulogne as the leading centre for the French fishing industry. This initial €45m (£40m) investment has provided a purpose-built freight terminal. A key feature of the regional government-owned site is the first of a pair of 2,400-tonne linkspans, which can move sideways along the dock edge. allowing easy boarding to conventional and fast ferries he second is due for completion next year. Further developments will include a low-temperature perishable goods logistics centre with storage and packaging facilities as well as a road-rail terminal