North East Port News

Unique Group, an integrated turnkey subsea and offshore solution provider, has now delivered two new dive systems and a diving vessel worth around £5 million to global services provider, Vertech. The Hydracraft 1500 Daughter Craft vessel, named the Vaila, is nearly 50 feet long and designed for air diving activity. The hull is designed to provide an enhanced stability, optimizing operational efficiency. Unique Group’s UK Managing Director, Ray Hughes, handed the vessel over to Vertech’s UK Managing Director, John Marsden, and Vertech’s Diving Manager, Alan Melia in Aberdeen last week.

Brazilian ports are facing problems in maintaining normal operations due to nationwide Health Authorities strike. Major Brazilian ports around the country are experiencing considerable delays. Vitoria in the south-east has reported a huge increase in the number of vessels at anchor awaiting their berthing turn. The number of vessels at anchorage increased almost ten-fold compared to customary port conditions. Local sources report that Santos Port has about 78 ships waiting at anchorage, in addition to considerable delays on loading/unloading, due to an accumulation of idle cargo inside the terminals awaiting its clearance be granted. Brazil's largest southern port, Paranagua, has more than 120 ships waiting at anchorage.

PD Ports, the operator of North East port, Teesport, has been named the Most Outstanding Service Carrier of the Year in 2009 by UK retailer, ASDA, at its annual National Carrier of the Year awards ceremony. The award was won by PD Ports for its Logical Link service - a coastal feeder container shipping service offering a next day connection between Felixstowe in the south of England and Teesport in the north, which runs three days per week. ASDA has used the Logical Link service since it launched in January 2009, to ship goods destined for its northern markets into Teesport, where the retailer operates a 360,000ft distribution center.