Teesport hit by delays
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by Sally Nash • Container hauliers delivering to Teesport, Middlesbrough are facing long delays as P&O North Sea Ferries struggles to cope with the high level of demand for its services.
One haulier says he is experiencing delays of up to six hours when waiting to deliver and collect containers. He describes recent scenes of "bedlam" when two of the four cranes in operation at the port broke down.
P&O has moved to reas sure its intermodal freight customers by issuing a statement promising that the situation will improve as a result of investment in plant, trailers, land and buildings.
Mark Evans, freight manager for P&O North Sea Ferries, accepts that long delays are occurring, but only at peak times.
"We have had complaints that drivers have been experiencing delays and we know they are frustrated," he says. "There is a lot of investment going on at the port and we are caught between building the new facilities and rebuilding the old ones."
But he rejects the claim that some hauliers have regularly been been forced to wait for six hours. "That is not usual," he insists.
High demand at the port could have been sparked by the collapse of Irish shipping line Bell Lines in February, adds Evans, who believes some Teesport customers could be handling Bell Lines' cargoes. "This situation is really due to a conglomeration of various factors," he says.
P&O has introduced a series of measures in a bid to speed up cargo movement, including only accepting bookings by strict allocation.
Drivers are still complaining of long waiting times at Felixstowe Docks, despite last month's implementation of new working practices.