Dredging conclude finish by April 30, 2012. The below table indicates the dredge volumes over the past 10 years.

Year       Volume (cy)
2009       64,721
2008       87,837
2006       65,670
2004       60,000
2002       44,000
2001       82,900
2000       56,200
1998       85,000

The bid package is available at the following internet address: http://www.taylorengineering.com/dlforms/jupitersandtrap.html

When asked to give their opinion of the statement “In overall terms the Mersey Ports Master Plan represents an exciting and welcome growth strategy for the next 20 years”, 89% replied “yes”, with only 6% disagreeing, and 5% having no opinion.

During the consultation period, Peel Ports Mersey’s Managing Director Gary Hodgson and Head of Port Planning Warren Marshall attended nine local events in towns and communities adjacent to the Port of Liverpool and the Ship Canal, where they answered questions from over 500 people.

These events took place in Liverpool, Widnes, Crosby, Warrington, Wallasey, Ellesmere Port, Eastham, Salford Quays and Bootle.

In addition they took part in eight local authority briefings, met 11 local MPs and presented to eleven special interest groups.

Positive feedback was also received from local businesses and other key stakeholders on issues such as increased employment, regeneration and the boost to local economy.

Although the reaction has been highly positive, Peel Ports has identified six main issues as a result of the 13-week public consultation that took place following the publication of the draft Mersey Ports Master Plan at the beginning of June.

The draft Master Plan, a 20-year vision for growth and future developments, details Peel Ports Mersey’s growth strategy and predicted volume forecasts up to 2030 – which would see a 70% growth in tonnage handled and create up to 8000 jobs.

The consultation closed on September 5, and an initial assessment of the 292 responses which were received – made up of 150 from identified stakeholders and 142 from members of the public – identified the following main issues and areas of concern:

Planned development of Seaforth Nature Reserve.

Additional port traffic upon the local highway network.

Mitigating environmental impacts upon nearby residential areas.

Planned port expansion near Eastham Village.

Increased opening of the swing bridges on the Manchester Ship Canal at Warrington.

Opportunity for local jobs, training and skills, and procurement.

Peel Ports is committed to looking into these six topics in detail, and to that end has formed working groups of senior staff to focus on each area, with the aim of formulating action plans which will inform the publication of a revised Master Plan in 2012.

Peel Ports Managing Director Gary Hodgson said: “We are encouraged by the level of interest in the Master Plan and by the overall support to our strategy from both our partners and from the general public, but we are taking nothing for granted. Following the consultation we have identified areas of concern, and we will now consider these in more detail. We are fully committed to continuing to work in partnership with both public agencies and organisations and the people who live in the communities where we operate to ensure maximum gain for the North West Region from our growth and development strategy – which we believe will be substantial.”

Totalling 6.8 million TEU, throughput in Hamburg grew at a double-digit (15.3 percent) rate and hence distinctly faster than in the West ports of Antwerp (up 3.1 percent) and Rotterdam (up 7.7 percent).

The project costing around Rs 6,700 crore will be the single largest foreign direct investment in the Indian port sector.

On completion the terminal, with a designed capacity to handle 4.8 million TEU annually, will more than double the JN port’s capacity. The consortium of PSA-ABG had emerged as the highest bidder agreeing to offer 50.8 per cent of the revenue to the Government.

But JNPT could not award the contract at the board meeting held last month as some of its trustees had raised doubts about the performance of ABG at Kandla Port in Gujarat where it is operating a terminal jointly with PSA. Following this, the port trust had set up a committee, headed by its Deputy Chairman to study the performance of ABG at Kandla. The committee has presented its report to the board.

The board was understood to be of the view that the performance of ABG group at Kandla was not of relevance to awarding the JN Port contract. The board has approved the PSA-ABG group’s bid. The letter of intent has been issued to the consortium, a senior official said

Originally, five parties including DP World of Dubai, Sterlite Industries, GVK group and Adanis were in the race. However, Adani could get the mandatory Government security clearance.

At the fourth terminal at JN port, ABG will be a minority partner holding 26 per cent stake, with PSA to hold the majority. The JN port already has three terminals — two run by private parties and one by the port trust with a design to handle a total of 3.6 million TEU a year.

But the port, one of the 13 major ports in the country, handled 4.27 million containers last fiscal, nearly five per cent more than it did in the previous year. One of the two private terminals is run by DP World, a Dubai government-owned company, was also a bidder for the fourth terminal.

The other terminal is run by Gateway Terminals India – a joint venture between APM Terminals and Container Corporation of India. The JN port handles more than half of the container traffic in the country.