Dredging Begins at Port of Liverpool

Work on Liverpool2, a new terminal at the Port of LIverpool, has begun. More than one million cubic meters of material will now be moved by dredgers to clear a deep-water channel at the Port of Liverpool (United Kingdom), operated by Peel Ports.

The dredging work – funded by a £35 million U.K. Government Regional Growth Fund grant – will create a 16.5-meter deep berthing pocket to secure access to the developing Liverpool2 project.

This funding was awarded to the Mersey Docks and Harbor Company by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne last month (May 2013).

Mark Whitworth, chief executive of Peel Ports Group, parent company of the Mersey Docks and Harbor Company, said, “This phase of the project marks the start of work on Liverpool2, our new £300m container terminal.

“Liverpool2 sends a fantastic message to shippers and the wider international trade world – namely, that Liverpool is investing heavily to secure their business now and in the future.

“The Port of Liverpool has already seen increased interest from shipping lines and cargo owners. Over the last 18 months APL, Evergreen and Zim have started to offer weekly feeder connections into Liverpool, whilst MSC and CMA have continued to grow their long-standing feeder volumes through the port.”

The Port of Liverpool carries more than 33m tons of cargo every year.

When completed in 2015, the Port’s deep-water container terminal will accommodate two of the new breed of post Panamax container ships at one time, and attract some of the world’s largest container vessels to a centrally-located  U.K. distribution hub which boasts a population of 35 million consumers within a radius of 150 miles.

Peel Ports’ £300 million investment will enable container ships from around the world to connect directly with the northern half of the U.K. and Ireland, and so serve an annual market estimated at around four million TEUs.

Footballing greats Sir Bobby Charlton and Kenny Dalglish were invited to launch the dredging operation in front of 300 VIP guests on June 6 to symbolize the benefits that Liverpool2, along with Peel Ports' investments in facilities along the Manchester Ship Canal, will bring to Liverpool and Manchester.

The new Liverpool2 terminal is expected to create around 5,000 jobs in the region's maritime community, and is anticipated to be open for business in 2015.

The maritime sector employs 28,000 people across 1,700 businesses in the Liverpool City Region, and contributes £2.6bn to the area’s annual economic output – 15 per cent of the total economic output for the region.

Peel Ports, which runs the Port of Liverpool and the linked Manchester Ship Canal, holds the Containerization International Port Authority of the Year title for its work in Liverpool.