Patrick Walker
– Peel Ports’ initiative passes ¾ mark in attracting supporters of direct shipping calls to Liverpool
– Backers represent over 1.35 million TEU of UK trade, including international manufacturers and retailers
– Ambitious plan to save UK economy 200 million road and rail freight miles by 2020
Peel Ports has announced today (20 February) it has secured 150 advocates for its Cargo200 initiative and is urging other businesses in the north of the country to add their weight to the campaign as it enters its next phase.
Online retailer Zavvi.com and Europe’s leading sports nutrition brand MyProtein are among the latest backers of the initiative. Thyssenkrupp, a diversified industrial group operating across 80 countries in elevator technology, steel and industrial solutions, has also signed up.
The initiative was first launched in 2015, with Peel Ports calling for importers and exporters whose goods begin or end their journey in the north of the UK to switch delivery of ocean freight from south-east ports to the centrally-located Port of Liverpool. Shippers of goods that start or end their journey in the north can save UK plc from £350-£400m annually. The initiative aims to cut freight mileage by 200 million miles by 2020.
Diageo, JCB, B&M, Jaguar Land Rover, Matalan, Bentley and Typhoo were among the first to respond to the Cargo200 initiative, encouraging the UK freight and logistics industry to deliver a fundamental shift in supply chain and services routes.
Peel Ports’ Group Commercial Director, Patrick Walters said: “With 150 signatories we are now at an advanced stage of our campaign to create a sustainable shift in the UK logistics sector, with a view to saving 200 million haulage miles across the UK. Our supporters come from a wide variety of retail, manufacturing, technology sectors but what unites them all is a clear and substantial demand to save cost, congestion and carbon emissions by shipping closer to their markets.
“With the opening of the £400m Liverpool2 container terminal late last year, for the first time we can offer the capabilities and the capacity to match the evident demand from businesses in our hinterland. The campaign is giving extra confidence to shipping lines as they weigh up the benefits of introducing greater services via the Port of Liverpool.”
One of the new supporters is Smylie Ltd. Its Managing Director, Chris Smylie, said: “As a passionate, family-run British food export business from the north west, shipping via Liverpool is critical to our business success. We can reduce our land freight mileage and minimise our carbon footprint by shipping via Liverpool, allowing us to supply supermarkets, distributors and food service companies both domestically and abroad. Importantly, we’re also able to minimise our environmental impact and improve resilience across our entire UK supply chain by avoiding the uncertainty and delays associated with longer road or rail journeys.”
Retailer Matalan, which has its new warehouse within 10 miles of Liverpool, is an existing signatory. Imports General Manager, Mark Taylor, said: “The benefits we could realise by shipping our 10,000 boxes through Liverpool are not just sourced from the transport cost savings associated with lower mileage, but from the benefits we will see in our entire supply chain. Our fleet of trucks that serve our stores during the day can continue to support the shunt of our containers onto our warehouse site at night without the need of a rail leg from a southern port. Additionally, the short distance and night time running all but eliminates the threat of congestion between port and warehouse. Equally, we can prioritise which containers we bring off the port and when, so we can be much more responsive to changes in demand from our customers.”
About Peel Ports Group
Peel Ports Group is the UK’s second largest port group, owning and operating six of the UK most important ports (Liverpool, Heysham, Manchester Ship Canal, Medway (Sheerness / Chatham), Clydeport and Great Yarmouth). It also owns BG Freight shipping line and operates a container terminal in Dublin.
Peel Ports handles 65million tonnes of cargo every year, which is around 13% of the total UK major ports traffic. Over 35 shipping line services (from 26 shipping lines) call through its network of ports every week. Headquartered in Liverpool, it employs around 1,200 staff, and had revenue of £596m and EBITDA of £212m for the year ending 31 March 2016.
About the Peel Group
Peel Ports Group is part of the Peel Group, one of the UK’s foremost privately-owned investment enterprises. Our strategy embraces a broad range of sectors – land and property, transport and logistics, retail and leisure, energy and media – with assets owned or under management of more than £5 billion. Group investment policy is focused on actively managing our diverse portfolio, enhancing the quality of our assets and recycling capital over the long-term.
