MHW Magazine News and stories from the Materials Handling Industry
The myth of geographical disadvantage suffered by Northern UK ports has finally been dispelled.
PD Ports' unopposed successful planning application to develop a £300m container port at Teesport follows recent research that shows the port has little or no geographical disadvantage when compared to its congested competitors in the South East.
The research highlights that ports in the North of England are NOT too far away from the main centres of population to compete effectively with the
Southern Ports. The research also confirms the commitment of PD Ports' owners, BBI Infrastructure Development's plan to invest in ports in the UK to provide much needed extra capacity in the foreseeable future.
The detailed research carried out by leading independent supply chain consultants Logistics Support Services shows clearly that Teesport can provide collections and deliveries to all the major centres of population in the UK (except London, Cardiff and Bristol) in a single one-way driving shift of 4.5 hours.
The calculations have taken into account the significant extra congestion on roads in the South East which reduces road speed by at least 7.5% compared with the north. When coupled with the congested road infrastructure inland from Felixstowe, Thamesport and Southampton, the 'isochrons' produce a 'break even' timed delivery line running just north of Coventry and Leicester. All major distribution centres in Northampton and Peterborough can also be reached within a single driving shift from Teesport.
The calculations also clearly demonstrate that as imports into the UK grow there will inevitably be increased congestion at Southern Ports. They will not be able to cope with this anticipated growth in the future and alternative port capacity will need to be sourced now. Teesport is ideally placed to take advantage of these developments.
Average LGV Road Speeds in mph
Road Type Teesport Felixstowe/Southampton
Motorway 52 48
Major Road 38 35
Minor Road 30 28
Streets 12 10
“In other words as logistics companies compare Teesport with Southampton, Felixstowe or Thamesport for any point of origin and destination north of Peterborough, Teesport has a distinct advantage,” says Graham Wall Commercial Director Teesport.
Teesport offers other advantages for developing 'portcentric' supply chain solutions for retailers and manufacturers namely: a plentiful supply of local labour, well connected road and rail infrastructure, no congestion at the port and existing high productivity container handling.
As more and more imports come into the UK, Teesport is exceptionally well placed to take advantage of this paradigm shift in supply chain strategy. It also supports the stated 'green agenda' of many major UK companies.
The map below shows the 'one driving shift isochrons' for Teesport (red), Felixstowe (blue), and Southampton (turquoise). The purple line identifies the 'break-even' driving point between Teesport going south and Felixstowe, Thamesport and Southampton going north.
