EUROPE

North seeks to ease Southern Discomfort

21 years ago

Depending on your point of view, PD Ports plan to introduce a Northern Gateway container port on the Tees would either ease the UKs notorious southern port congestion, or – if youre a supporter of any or all of the three southern container terminal projects aimed at solving the problem – simply prove to be a fly in the ointment.

Lloyd’s List reports that port operators and regional development agencies in the north of England are calling for a delay on three outstanding applications to build additional facilities in the south (London Gateway, Felixstowe South and Bathside Bay) until alternative schemes are considered in other parts of the country. They want a broader approach to planning, says the paper.

The call for a UK ports strategy coincides with details of a proposed deepsea container terminal on Teesside with a 14 metre draught able to handle ships of up to 8,000 TEUs.

PD Ports, which owns Teesport, is drawing up plans for a three-berth, 1,000 metre quay on the south bank of the River Tees that could have annual capacity of 1.5m TEUs.

The company, which has local backing to develop the brownfield site, says the scheme would fit well with the government’s goal of closing the wealth gap between the north and the south. One way would be to improve transport connections, PD Ports is arguing.