A sharp turn to port

19th May 2005, Page 18

19th May 2005

Page 18

Page 18, 19th May 2005 — A sharp turn to port

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Keywords : Container Ship, Port, Containerization, Security, Container Security Initiative, Port Of Felixstowe

British container ports are nearing capacity and the time may come when ships have to be turned away. But the building of new 'Super Ports' is contentious, to put it mildly. Jennifer Bali reports.

Last year the UK's ports handled 4.5 million ontainers up 37% on 1996. With growth running at 5% a year, shipping lines warn that by 2008 the UK's container ports will have reached capacity, leading to gridlock. Truck drivers will face massive delays and rate increases, and ships will be turned away.

But all this could change if the government gives the go-ahead for a number of 'Super Ports' with massively increased capacity. It is considering plans from Hutchison Ports to build a £300m container facility at Bathside Bay outside Harwich, and to extend the capacity of Felixstowe to handle an additional 1.5 million containers. Meanwhile, P&O Ports plans to convert a disused oil refinery on the Thames Gateway into a port handling two million containers a year.

Effective opposition

But the port authorities are facing determined opposition from environmental groups, who are concerned about the impact of new ports on wildlife. Much of the land earmarked for construction is home to species such as Oyster Catchers and Shelducks.

Their campaigning has already had an effect: last year Transport Secretary Alistair Darling cited environmental concerns when he rejected plans to build a six-berth terminal at Dibden Bay. However, this has left ongoing problems at Southampton Container Terminal.

Hutchison Ports, the Hong Kong-based firm that runs Felixstowe, warns that things will get worse without new ports. It argues that the consolidation of freight into ever-larger container vessels means the UK needs more deep-water capacity to accommodate these huge ships. If British ports are not able to provide adequate capacity, this lucrative trade is likely to be lost to Continental ports.

A spokesman for the British Chamber of Shipping agrees: "There is a great shortage of large container ports within the UK, which has led to significant delays at major ports. It's got to the point where on some occasions our members have been forced to pull ships out of Southampton and take them to Rotterdam. which is obviously not a good thing."

Friends of the Earth argues that instead of expanding capacity, better use should be made of existing smaller ports. with more use of 'short sea shipping', where smaller vessels are used to transport containers from major ports like Rotterdam to the UK.

Ports campaigner Mary Edwards says:"The ports authorities should be looking at developing ports around the UK, not just in the south-east, as this will put more goods on to the roads travelling north. If better use were made of short sea shipping, goods would be closer to their final destination and could then be transferred by rail.

The cost of change

"However, they [the port authorities] are reluctant to do this because it is cheaper to ship to the south-east. Super Ports,such as Bathside Bay will have a disastrous effect on the wildlife as well as the local community, who will face noise, pollution and new roads being built," she adds.

But, Dr Andrew Trail the FTA's head of maritime policy, says that simply transporting the cargo to smaller ports is not a viable option: "They don't have the capacity to take the containers or the size of vessels. In addition, ship operators don't want to deviate off their chosen routes — they want to make fewer ports of call to keep costs down.

"Without extra port capacity shipping lines will boycott the UK and head for Rotterdam and Antwerp, inevitably leading to higher prices in the shops." •

A sharp turn to port

Page 18

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