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Back to News IndexExtra Iberian services to call at the Port of Liverpool
Fresh produce imported and stored on Port for first time in 25 years
For Immediate Release - 22 March, 2010
The Port of Liverpool will from next week receive a more frequent service from the Iberian peninsula.
The current service provided by operator MacAndrews – a subsidiary of CMA CGM, the third largest container line in the world – is being expanded by 30% to call in at the north-west city four times per week, arriving from Bilbao, Lisbon and Leixoes. The shipments will include significant imports of fruit delivered direct from Spain and Portugal to the Port's new £6M Liverpool Fresh Produce Terminal – which has been operational since Q3 2009.
The growth of the service from MacAndrews, which has serviced Liverpool since 1770, is supported both by the commissioning of the Terminal and by a modal shift from road to sea across a number of commodities including building materials, automotive and other manufactured goods and, of course, fresh produce. According to statistics published by DEFRA in September 2009, short-sea shipping has only half the emissions of rail and reduces CO2 emissions versus road by some 80%.
Stephen Carr, head of business development at the Port of Liverpool, said: "By offering four sailings per week, the Port of Liverpool is providing a real alternative to retailers and importers striving to serve northern and central UK in an environmentally friendly manner.
"Water is both the greenest and most cost effective mode of transport available and by addressing the frequency of service, MacAndrews has provided a viable alternative to road."
By using water, up to 1,000 road miles are eliminated from the journey, saving 2,000kgs of carbon per journey. Overall this service is expected to eliminate more than 60,000 tonnes of CO2 over the course of the next 12 months.
The Port's new build Liverpool Produce Terminal has seen significant volumes since final commissioning in 2009. The new services will result in a significant reduction in road miles on fresh produce and on other goods on the return journey, for importers and exporters who currently use other UK ports and who transport to and from the north by truck.
Andy Rickard, operations director of Liverpool Produce Terminal Ltd, said: "We have taken part in a one million case trial of citrus fruit, which has demonstrated the massive advantages of supplying Northern Britain by sea to the Port of Liverpool, both in terms of cost savings and CO2 benefits. We have recently begun handling additional fresh produce, including tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, and have planned trials for fruit juice and frozen vegetables."
The Port of Liverpool's fresh produce terminal is a state-of-the-art quayside cool store built by Peel Ports Group and operated by Liverpool Produce Terminal Limited. Containers of produce are quickly transferred from vessel and emptied into the cool store – enabling rapid availability of stock.
The 90,000 sq ft cool store has four individually controlled chambers with a temperature range of 0°C to +14°C. It can operate around the clock, employing as many as 100 permanent and supplemental staff.
Stephen Carr continued: "The development of Liverpool Produce Terminal is a prime example of how Port of Liverpool, with its central location, continues to make major contributions to the reduction of truck road miles. The terminal will make a very significant contribution to the food transport industry's response to increasing economic and environmental pressure to cut food miles and the carbon footprint."
The Port of Liverpool, in the north-west of England, is one of the busiest ports in the UK. It is a gateway to trade from North America and more than 100 other non-EU destinations. Now management are keen to open up new trade routes with a view to further developing business benefits.
Press Enquiries:
- Issued by The BIG Partnership on behalf of Port of Liverpool,
Contact Brian Welsh 0141 333 9585 or 07976 456 765; Fax 0141 333 9584
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