Mark Whitworth News

Global supply chain disruption is changing cargo flows coming into Britain and smaller ports such as Liverpool are benefiting as suppliers look for other ways to route cargoes and minimize disruptions, Liverpool port's operator said.Major bottlenecks have formed across the globe in recent months due to a surge in demand for retail goods from people stuck at home under pandemic-related lockdowns and logjams impacting the supply of container ships and boxes to transport cargo.A shortage of truckers has added to difficulties especially in Britain…

Leading British ports operator Peel Ports aims to become net zero of carbon emissions at all its operations by 2040 and is exploring hydrogen fuel solutions for some of its energy needs, the private group's chief executive said.Britain has said it is committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, and finance minister Rishi Sunak told companies this week to set out plans by 2023 for a transition to a low-carbon economy.Mark Whitworth, CEO of Liverpool-headquartered Peel Ports…

Three ‘megamax’ quayside ship-to-shore (STS) cranes sailed up the River Mersey, destined for the Liverpool2 container terminal, UK, completing the final stage of their voyage from China.The cranes are part of work on the second phase of the Liverpool2 project to provide additional capacity for growing volumes of cargo.Their arrival follows Peel Ports announcing a record-breaking month for its container operations at the Port of Liverpool. Quayside and landside throughput in October at exceeded all previous figures on record with year on year growth of 12%.Mark Whitworth, Chief Executive Officer of Peel Ports, said: “An increasing number of businesses are understanding that it makes more sense to ship products closer to their end destinations.

UK port operator Peel Ports Group has been officially accredited with the internationally recognized quality mark of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) at all its principal ports by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customers, affirming the Port’s efficient and robust processes to customers worldwide.The Liverpool based port operator said that achieving AEO status from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs was a “significant milestone” especially on the path towards Brexit.Peel Ports Group has successfully achieved AEO status for the following ports: Clydeport Operations Limited, Port of Sheerness Limited, The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company Limited…

Peel Ports Group has announced that it has acquired Quality Freight (UK) Limited, which provides chartering and a range of port services operating from a 40 acre multimodal facility at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.The value of the transaction has not been dicslosed.Commenting on the acquisition, Mark Whitworth, Chief Executive of Peel Ports Group said: “Our strategy is to be a leading UK provider of port centric logistics solutions. The acquisition of Quality Freight (UK) Limited is an important step in extending the range of value added services beyond the core stevedoring and storage services typically offered by Peel Ports.

China's COSCO Shipping has confirmed it will call at the port of Liverpool after a successful trial last October to offer its clients more efficient services between Britain and Canada."The world’s top five shipping lines are all now calling at Liverpool following confirmation that Chinese giant COSCO Shipping is to ship via the port," said a statement from the UK's most centrally-located container port.COSCO Shipping will take slots on an existing Canadian service via Montreal with OOCL. It joins MSC, Maersk, CMA and Hapag in starting or growing a presence in Liverpool.The decision follows a successful trial by COSCO Shipping in October…

Peel Ports has hosted the inaugural meeting of the Northern Powerhouse partnership at the Port of Liverpool today (8 December). The initiative is creating a new network to help grow the Northern economy and aims to champion the area’s strengths and promote local developments. Topics at the first meeting included transport and connectivity, the government’s industrial strategy, quality of life improvements and how partners can work together to support the Northern Powerhouse programme. The event was attended by over 40 leading businesses, including Atkins, Barclays, Deloitte, Drax, Siemens and Vodafone, as well as universities, local enterprise partnerships and business organisations.

One of the world’s most modern shipping terminals has been opened for business in the Port of Liverpool, offering a new state-of-the-art deep water gateway in the U.K. for the world’s largest containerships. Liverpool2 was officially opened Friday, November 4, 2016 by the U.K. Secretary of State for International Trade, Rt Hon Dr. Liam Fox MP, during an event attended by nearly 300 customers and stakeholders, complete with pyrotechnics and a performance by English singer Alison Moyet. “Today marks the beginning of a new era for the Port of Liverpool. Our investment will help global shippers to transport cargo more efficiently to their end destination with lower costs…

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with major UK ports operator, Peel Ports, who own the Port of Liverpool, as the latter gears up for the formal opening of its Liverpool2 container terminal in early November. The formal agreement creates a strategic alliance aimed at facilitating international trade and generating new business by promoting trade routes between Liverpool and the west coast of South America via the Panama Canal. The agreement was signed October 24 by Jorge L.

British ports could gain a competitive edge in tough shipping markets through post-Brexit exclusion from planned European Union regulation of the sector, leading British port officials told Reuters. Last month's vote to leave the EU means that British terminals are set to escape the proposed Ports Services Regulation that critics have said would hit UK ports unfairly because most are privately funded, while many of their European counterparts receive financing from local authorities. The mooted EU-wide rules cover port services such as piloting but also include port charges and exemptions for state aid, which would add to cost pressure on UK operators while eroding their ability to control prices. "I am reassured that if there is one benefit (from Brexit) ...

The first six cantilever rail-mounted gantry (CRMG) cranes arrived in the River Mersey on Sunday, May 1 ready for installing and commissioning at the Liverpool2 deep-water container terminal. Produced by leading Chinese manufacturer ZPMC, which also supplied the five ship-to-shore cranes already on site, these six are the first of 12 required for phase 1 of the terminal. Ultimately the site will have eight STS and 22 CRMG cranes as part of a £100 million investment. The cranes will be capable of performing an average of 20 moves per hour…

Peel Ports has been recognised for its commitment to environmental stewardship in the delivery of its Manchester Ship Canal project by the prestigious and historic Carmen Awards. The awards, which honour exceptional achievement in industry and individual enterprise, praised the business’ revival of the historic trade route and Victorian engineering masterpiece to build a sustainable platform for modern day growth in the North West. Previous winners include the Highways Agency for the Hindhead Tunnel project and The Mayor of London’s Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme. While the awards reserved particular praise for the Manchester Ship Canal project…

Peel Ports Group has completed the acquisition of Great Yarmouth Port Company Limited (GYPC) from International Port Holdings for an undisclosed sum. GYPC is well established as the leading UK port servicing the UK sector of the Southern North Sea offshore oil and gas industry and has other activities in regional grain, aggregate and other bulk and general cargoes. In its last annual accounts, it reported revenue of £10.9m and an operating profit of £4.5m. It currently employs approximately 65 employees all of whom are located at Great Yarmouth. Mark Whitworth, Chief Executive of Peel Ports said: “GYPC will complement Peel Ports core ports business by providing both geographical and commercial diversification. It is a very welcome addition to our business portfolio.

Peel Ports, one of Britain's largest port operators, expects to withstand the container shipping slump with a bold project aimed at attracting cargo to Liverpool away from southern gateways, its chief executive said. The container market, which ships retail goods from iPhones to designer clothes and food products, has been hit hard by a slowdown in demand for goods from Asia, especially China. The Baltic exchange's main sea freight index, which gauges the cost of shipping dry bulk commodities such as coal, has fallen to the lowest level since data is available on the China slowdown. Peel Ports, which competes with Associated British Ports…

A giant vessel bearing five ‘megamax’ quayside cranes sailed up the River Mersey yesterday destined for the new Liverpool2 container terminal, completing the final stage of its voyage from China. The cranes originally set off from Shanghai in August passing south-east Asia, India, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa via the Cape of Good Hope en route to Liverpool in a journey of over 30,000km (18,000m, 16,400nm). The super-structures were produced by Chinese company, Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co (ZPMC), the largest heavy duty equipment manufacturer in the world, as part of a contract with Peel Ports worth over £100m. A total of eight ship…

Leading UK port operator, Peel Ports Group, has been recognised as the UK’s top company in this year’s prestigious Sunday Times Grant Thornton Top Track 250 league table. Its ambitious development plans and strong financial results were key factors in the Liverpool-based business leaping 25 places ahead on its 2014 ranking. Compiled by research and networking events company Fast Track, the annual table ranks Britain's top performing private companies and entrepreneurs. The business reported an operating profit of £137.3m for the year ending March 2015 – results which come on the back of consistent growth over the last five years across a broad range of commodity groups.

The world’s oldest enclosed commercial wet dock in Liverpool, North-west England is celebrating its 300th anniversary. Known locally as the ‘old dock’, it opened for business on 31 August 1715, providing a blueprint for the development of other trading ports. For the first time in history, the design of the dock allowed ships to load and unload whatever the state of the tide. It helped Liverpool to become one of the globe’s most important ports, with ships being able to turn around in under two days, rather than the two weeks needed previously. Thanks to the ‘old dock’, by the end of the 19th century 9% of the world’s trade went through Liverpool.

At a formal event presided by ShriNitinGadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport,Highways and Shipping in the presence of ShriAnil Desai, Member of RajyaSabhainMumbai, India’s No.1 Container Terminal Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust,  have today signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Major UK ports operator, Peel Ports, who own the Port of Liverpool . Measured by Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), the UK is already the biggest G20 ‘maker’ in India. Last year the UK invested $3.2 billion in India accounting for almost 10% of all FDI flows into India, more than the second and third largest G20 investors into India combined. Likewise, Indian companies are amongst the biggest investors in the UK. The innovations developed through these collaborations have hugely benefited both countries.

Three of the world’s largest and grandest ocean liners - the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Victoria  - paid a historic visit to salute the city of Liverpool, the original home of their owners, cruise-line company Cunard, which this year celebrates its 175th anniversary. Over a million people gathered to watch the massive ‘Three Queens’ as they returned to the birthplace of the Cunard dynasty, which revolutionised transatlantic travel in the 19th century. Founded in Liverpool in 1840 by Samuel Cunard, a Canadian businessman who won the first British steamship contract to deliver mail across the Atlantic, the company then started to welcome passengers and grew rapidly. Within 30 years, it was employing some 11,500 people and had amassed a fleet of 46 ships.

General Mills UK & Ireland – responsible for a range of market-leading brands, including Old El Paso, Green Giant, Betty Crocker and Nature Valley – is to be the first tenant at a new state-of-the-art distribution hub that will save 600,000 road haulage miles each year whilst providing a “future proof” solution to market trends. The 280,000 sq. ft. site at Port Salford – which will be run by food and drink logistics expert Culina Group – will act as a central hub for General Mills’ ambient brands arriving by short sea freight from Europe. Located adjacent to the Manchester Ship Canal and next to the arterial motorway routes of the M60 and M62…

Food and drink logistics giant, Culina Group, has been announced as the first major tenant at the new National Import Centre being developed by the Peel Group, as part of its multi-million pound Port Salford development (located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Manchester City Centre in the UK). Culina Group will take occupation of the first warehouse distribution unit to be built on the Port Salford site - the UK’s first tri-modal inland port facility and Distribution Park, accessible by rail, road and short sea-shipping. The property comprises 26,022 sq. m. (280,000 sq. ft.) of accommodation, including ancillary offices, service yard and parking.

Over 300 industry guests gathered at the Port of Liverpool yesterday (Thursday June 6th) to toast the launch of Peel Ports’ landmark deep water container terminal Liverpool2.. Sir Bobby Charlton and ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish pushed the button on the start of dredging and launched a dazzling display of fireworks over the site of the new terminal in the Mersey. The two footballing legends were invited to symbolise the great benefits that Liverpool2 – along with Peel Ports’ investments in port hubs along the Manchester Ship Canal – will bring to both the cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Kenny Dalglish said, “Bobby and myself are both very proud of our adopted cities so the business and employment this will bring to the region is fantastic.

Peel Ports Group has signed a multi-million pound deal with Shanghai-based Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. (ZPMC) for 17 ‘mega cranes’ for its new £300m Liverpool2 container port. ZPMC will initially supply five ship-to-shore (STS) megamax quay cranes and 12 cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes (CRMGs) in phase 1 of the project and a further 3 three STS cranes and 10 CMRGs in phase 2.The contract is a major step forward in the construction of what will be one of Europe’s most advanced container facilities, scheduled to open at the end of 2015. The combined handling capacity of the five ‘megamax’ STS cranes and 12 CRMGs will dramatically increase the port’s productivity and efficiency, delivering major benefits and cost-savings for customers using the Port of Liverpool as their UK gateway.