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Supermarket chain backs Liverpool - Manchester water shuttle

For Immediate Release - 18 October, 2007

Wine bound for Tesco supermarkets is flowing up the Manchester Ship Canal from the Port of Liverpool in a green waterborne initiative which is taking thousands of trucks off Britain's congested roads and cutting CO2 emissions by 80%.

Peel Ports' Liverpool - Manchester Shuttle operated by a tug pushing a barge capable of carrying up to 160 20ft containers, made its first run today from the international container terminal at Liverpool to the Irlam Container Terminal 40 miles up the River Mersey and Ship Canal.

The pioneering trans-shipment service will sail three times a week from the mouth of the Mersey to the heart of the North West Region with a range of cargoes delivered by deepsea shipping services at Liverpool's Royal Seaforth Container Terminal.

On its return run, the Shuttle is expected to carry an increasing volume of export cargo plus repatriated empty containers for transfer to deepsea shipping services out of the Port of Liverpool.

"This state-of-the-art facility equips the Port Health Authority to carry out its responsibilities to maximum effect and efficiency," he said. "The border post, which has been approved by the EU as one of the authorised routes for importing commodities into Europe, will ensure the wellbeing of the people of the UK and of the country's animal population."

Councillor Abbey cut a ribbon stretched across one of the 10 raised bays with dock levellers where chilled haulage units are backed up for inspection and out-turn of their contents. Members of the authority then toured the border post, which provides identical facilities in two adjoining but isolated sections, including temperature controlled unloading areas, freezer rooms with temperatures down to minus 30 degrees centigrade, inspection rooms and ambient detention stores for rejected product.

"This move will be like taking a step back to the pre-car days of the late Victorian era - when a lot of cargo was still transported by canal - but is a step forward in helping to address today's important environmental issues."

"We are continually reviewing alternative green methods of transporting cargo and this is our first waterborne project within the UK. We are already looking at other areas where we can move freight on waterways.

"Reducing carbon emissions and looking at how we can make the business more environmentally-friendly is a priority and by 2012 we aim to halve the amount of carbon emitted per case of goods delivered."

The Shuttle service is operated by Manchester based Seaborn Container Line, which acquired the push tug and two barges after initial container trans-shipment trials between Liverpool and Manchester undertaken by Peel Ports. Frank Robotham, Peel Ports Group Marketing Director, said: "This major investment is probably the largest to be made to enhance the movement of containers along a UK inland waterway.

"The movement of containers by water from the Port of Liverpool into Greater Manchester and the North West, not only offers the shipper economies of scale, it provides the environment with valuable breathing space."

Seaborn Managing Director Graham Salt described the Shuttle as a perfect example of how the carbon footprint can be dramatically reduced and other benefits achieved by switching from road to waterborne freight.

"Every container carried up the Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal takes a truck off the road, reduces the carbon footprint by 80% and dramatically reduces the damage caused to the road system," he said.

"The major road route between Liverpool and Manchester runs almost parallel with the River Mersey and Ship Canal, but the fully laden barge will produce just 20% of the CO2 emissions generated by a fleet of fully loaded trucks carrying the same cargo. The River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal represent a motorway of great potential."

he pioneer traffic was the brainchild of Kingsland Managing Director Andy Sagar and Supply Chain Director Michael Forde - two Manchester born men who recognised the commercial and environmental merits of switching the Tesco wine traffic from road transport to waterborne freight.

"One corner of our production site is only 50 yards from the Manchester Ship Canal, and we wanted to explore the idea of using this great historic waterway," said Michael Forde. "We made contact with the Irlam Container Terminal and an initial meeting was arranged, which has subsequently generated huge interest and action from all the parties involved."

Most of the liquid cargo, currently amounting to 1,500 teus (20ft containers) a year, is carried by Mediterranean Shipping Company on its weekly feeder service between Antwerp and Liverpool.

"By trans-shipping from the Royal Seaforth Container Terminal to the Irlam Container Terminal on the Ship Canal, we are ensuring that the containers travelling thousands of miles across the globe, stay on water rather than road to complete their journey," said Mr Forde.The Tesco wines from Australia, New Zealand, California, Chile and Argentina, had already secured substantial green miles when Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) transferred the containers from Felixstowe to Liverpool. The Peel Ports Shuttle achieves a further cut in road miles and establishes a near complete waterborne transport solution.

Peter Johnson, General Manager Logistics for Mediterranean Shipping Company, said: "MSC have strategically introduced several port options for feedering containers to and from the UK, all contributing to a reduction in road miles and carbon dioxide emissions. We are very pleased that we have been able to assist Kingsland Wines / Tesco in the reduction of even more road miles by innovative use of the Manchester Ship Canal."

The new traffic also marks the merging of former rivals, the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal, following acquisition of the Mersey Docks Group by the Peel Ports Group in September 2005.

Said Peel Ports' Frank Robotham: "The regular movement of containers of wine by water rather than road, from the deepsea import port at the mouth of the River Mersey to the heart of the cargo rich North West Region, epitomises the potential for trans-shipment created by the port and canal operating as one single seaway.

"The environmental advantages are an added bonus in a logistics exercise which is being pioneered by Kingsland Wines and Tesco and has yet to be fully exploited. The bringing together under Peel Ports of the Port of Liverpool as the international gateway to the North West and the Ship Canal as the trans-shipment route to the heart of the strongest container cargo generating region outside London, promises comprehensive rewards."

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