Northern Way strategy embraces ports

WOG has a waterfront of 550 metres with a depth alongside of 10.5 metres.

“The Northern Way Growth Strategy focuses on the major northern ports and their future connectivity needs, ” comments the report. “Future growth of the northern ports will contribute to the North’s economic development ? and the greatest potential for growth is within the Humber ports.”

The report states that, for the Humber ports to realise their opportunity, priority needs be given to road and rail access projects. Jerry Hopkinson, md of PD Port Services which operates both Hull and Grimsby container terminals, commented: “Beyond our existing operations at Hull Container Terminal (HCT) we are in detailed discussions with ABP concerning the development of a new outer harbour facility over the next couple of years that will have a capacity in excess of 500,000 TEUs annually.”

Hopkinson also revealed that additional capital is being invested by PD Ports on container handling equipment and IT development in anticipation of escalating volumes through Hull: “Whilst we currently do not move containers into and out of HCT by rail except on an ad-hoc requirement basis, I want to make it clear that we can run container-based intermodal trains from Hull immediately. The rail lines are only a few yards across the private area adjacent to the container cranes so our mechanical handling equipment can easily cope.

“Whilst the Northern Way strategy looks absolutely right to expand the use of the three major northern ports, please do not think that we have in any way reached our existing capacity limits.”