The visit follows a call by the ‘HS Paris’ in March. At 6,552 TEU, it was the largest container vessel to have called at Liverpool in the port’s history. Meanwhile, all major remedial works at Liverpool2 are scheduled to be completed by August, following the emergence of a sinkhole near the quay wall in February. A cofferdam is currently being constructed to allow a safe working area to be created, prior to back filling and the concrete surface being reinstated.
Work is going on in parallel to inject grout into a weakness in the quay wall that gave rise to the initial problem. Extensive investigations and surveys have been carried out to determine that the rest of the terminal is unaffected. A number of other minor works will be ongoing until October, as part of the construction contractor’s warranty responsibilities, in addition to routine maintenance of the site.
Mark Whitworth, Chief Executive Officer at Peel Ports, said: “While the sinkhole is regrettable, remedial works are somewhat inevitable on any large and complex project. However, the vast majority of the terminal has remained fully operational throughout and our advanced discussions with shipping lines on introducing direct deep-sea calls to Liverpool2 are progressing well.”
In May, Peel Ports appointed APM Terminals’ Jouke Schaap to head up its entire container operation. The position has been created to drive commercial opportunities focussed on the company’s network of terminals and port-centric logistics facilities.
Peel Ports’ container terminals handled over 980,000 TEU in 2015, representing over 9% of the UK and Irish market. The opening of Liverpool2 will see the annual throughput at the Port of Liverpool more than double and by 2025 it is anticipated that Liverpool’s share of the UK container market will be between 15-20%.