Peel Ports expands ‘gateway to Ireland’

The investment is in response to growing customer demand and aims to boost capacity and efficiency at the ‘gateway to Ireland’.

“We believe this work will future-proof our operations here for decades to come, as well as create growth opportunities for the facility in the process,” said Phil Hall, Mersey Port director at Peel Ports Group.

“We’ve already received great feedback from our customers about these plans, and it’s clear this infrastructure investment will really benefit our operations here in the years ahead.”

The project includes reconfiguring the port’s trailer park to create additional space to accommodate the arrival of two new state-of-the-art Stena Line ‘NewMax’ ferries. These vessels will increase freight capacity by 40% compared to their predecessors.

Key upgrades also include the introduction of a multi-lane smart gate operating system and a new terminal operating system. These enhancements will reduce congestion, improve reliability for hauliers and streamline trailer identification.

All operators at Heysham Port – Isle of Man Steam Packet, CLDN and Stena Line – are set to benefit from the improvements, which will enhance help facilitate higher volumes of freight.

Construction is set to begin in the coming weeks, and the upgrades are part of Peel Ports’ broader strategy to future-proof port operations and support the growth of regional and international trade.