Container port given green light

Liverpool could become the country's major gateway for container trade with the United States as plans for a new shipping terminal have been approved.
Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC) says the Seaforth River Terminal will see the Port of Liverpool double the amount of cargo it can handle.

The £80m container port will go from Seaforth Dock to the river wall at the Gladstone River entrance.

It is thought the new terminal will create about 180 jobs.

Environmental impact

Transport Minister Gillian Merron said: "It will bring significant economic and social benefits to Merseyside and the wider North West region."

She added: "It will create up to 180 directly employed jobs, with many more indirectly created jobs for the local area."

MDHC said it would be able to accommodate larger container ships allowing Liverpool to become the country's major gateway for container trade with the US.

Some residents, along with The Ramblers Association, have been concerned about the scheme's impact on the environment and last year a public inquiry was held.

But the minister said she was satisfied Mersey Docks and Harbour Company had worked with other agencies to minimise the possible adverse effects from the development. :PDT_Aliboronz_24:

I think the importance of this cannot be underestimated.

The regeneration of the port is vital for Liverpool

I don't think that the economy here could rely on tourism alone.

This along with the new rail link will ensure that Liverpool docks remains one of the busiest and most important in the country.

again, its more good news for the city

The scheme will almost double the container capacity at the Port of Liverpool, which is already the UK’s number one gateway for trade with North America,it will be open in 2010.

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Originally Posted by AK1

This along with the new rail link will ensure that Liverpool docks remains one of the busiest and most important in the country.

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That just it,there's all the spin offs that come with it.I reckon the opening of the Olive Mount Chord will be next.

Nothing about this on Northwest tonight.

Bit strange considering a few weeks back they had an indepth feature about Peel's plans for the Manchester Ship canal?

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Originally Posted by Suburban

Nothing about this on Northwest tonight.

Bit strange considering a few weeks back they had an indepth feature about Peel's plans for the Manchester Ship canal?

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Why would the unbiased NW tonight mention this,it's not like it's major news is it? It's not in Manc so it can't be,I tried to make this point the other week.:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Paul D

Why would the unbiased NW tonight mention this,it's not like it's major news is it? It's not in Manc so it can't be.:rolleyes:

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Instead of positive news about Liverpool they chose to headline their show with news about some Druggy from Liverpool.

Makes you wonder doesn't it?

The N.W.T. Article on the 'Manchester Ship Canal'...taking these huge Container Ships to the new 'Dock' in Salford...was a load of 'Hoo-Haa'....the plan all along has been for the Huge Container Ships to Dock at the 'New' (Not yey built !!) Container Port in Liverpool & then the containers to be trans-shipped on smaller vessels to the Salford Site....Poor research by the northern B.B.C. News-Crew !!!:disgust:

Peel Ports Group owners of the Port of Liverpool are reporting further developments and enhancements to the Royal Seaforth container terminal and also a reference to the new "in-river" Post-Panamax berths. Here's the link; http://www.merseydocks.co.uk/index2.htm

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/737/polno2.jpg

Construction of Liverpool’s post-panamax container terminal looks set to begin next year. The British government granted approval for the river terminal in March. MDHC had always said that it would move ahead with the development as soon as possible but questions were raised as to whether Peel, which appears to have quietly dropped its plans for a deep-sea container terminal at Hunterston on the west coast of Scotland, would continue MDHC’s commitment to the Mersey project.

“Does Peel support investment that grows the business? The answer is clearly yes” says Frank Robotham, former MDHC marketing director and now group marketing director for Peel Ports.

Strong demand from the port’s natural hinterland, on top of issues such as the EU Working Time Directive, shortage of lorry drivers and an increasing interest in environmental issues have all helped to persuade shippers that Liverpool is not on the wrong side of the country after all.

Timetable, studies that will come up with the final engineering cost and design, will take 6 to 8 months to complete then the final go-ahead will be made during 2008. Until the studies are finalised and everything is signed off by the board the port cannot commit to an exact start date, but our intention is to start construction next year the first phase of the development would be ready by 2011, if we do it on a phased basis.

“We are not doing it on the basis of signing up shipping lines today” says Mr. Robotham “We believe that once the terminal is complete there will be a demand for it. Several shipping lines are already asking to be kept in touch with developments, so we know there is interest”

River terminal facts:

Peel Ports proposals are for an in-river terminal with total quay length of 820m, to be built in 2 phases. Depth alongside would be up to 14.5 metres, but possibly 13.5 metres initially.

The terminal, estimated to cost £90m will accommodate vessels to a maximum of 6,500-7,000 teu and have an annual capacity of 600,000 teu.

There are unique engineering challenges in the development. The location, close to the river mouth, has a tidal range of 9 metres and a river flow of around 5 knots.

The terminal will be created by building a river wall from the corner of Royal Seaforth Dock to Gladstone Lock. The triangle will then be filled in to create a 17hectare terminal.

Permission was granted for the development in March 2007. The first berth could be ready in 2011.

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Originally Posted by Paul D

... Permission was granted for the development in March 2007. The first berth could be ready in 2011.

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I read in todays news that the NorthWest passage is presently has an ice-free path complete from end to end for the first time in recorded history.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...age_map203.gif
Full article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6995999.stm

So can we expect to see post-Panamax container ships from the Pacific transiting the NorthWest Passage and coming to Europe from the North by 2008 or 2009? If so it makes Liverpool the post-Panamax port of choice for West-coast America as well as the traditional North Atlantic run.
Quick approximate measurements using GoogleEarth:
Liverpool - San Francisco via NorthWest passage 6,950 nautical miles
Liverpool - San Francisco using Panama Canal 7,120 nm.
Liverpool - San Francisco via Cape Horn 13,800 nm.

They had better get serious about upgrading rail access to the Port of Liverpool, reinstating Olive Mount is not going to be enough, not by a long chalk. Try 25kv electrification too and European loading gauge clearance.

Can the terminal plans accommodate still more expansion beyond two post-Panamax vessels when the demand presses? Plans for two rail routes (diversionary) into the Northern docks?