In the year to date the Port has brought in 250,144  tonnes of steel compared with 142,633 tonnes of steel for the same period in 2010, an increase of 75% (107,511 tonnes).

It is estimated that by the end of 2011 total steel tonnage through Liverpool will have reached 300,000 tonnes, an increase of 113,000 tonnes from 2010. .

The significant growth has been supported by around £1.5m of infrastructure investment by Peel Ports, owners and operators of Port of Liverpool, including a new Liebherr harbour mobile crane.

In addition, in April 2011 Peel Ports invested in its senior management team responsible for the steel sector with the appointment of a business development manager for metals, Roy Merryweather, who has more than a decade of experience in the industry.

Gary Hodgson, managing director of the Port of Liverpool, said: “We are absolutely delighted with our performance in steel volumes this year. When you consider that the UK market indicates 5% growth year on year, then you can see that these results are hugely encouraging indeed.

“This success reflects the total journey economics we can offer importers in that Liverpool offers savings on inbound logistics for all cargos destined for the Midlands and Northwest of the UK.

“The Port of Liverpool demonstrated its commitment to this sector and our belief in the potential for growth through our major infrastructure investment and with the appointment of Roy Merryweather. Roy has been proactive in attracting new business to the port which has been critical – and the indications are there are opportunities to grow these volumes further.”

Further proof of the growth in steel volumes is evident in the Port of Liverpool setting a new record earlier this year for steel coil handled and discharged – some 33,000 tonnes from the MV Blackbird. Within this 1,764 steel coils were handled over which 500 weighed more than 25 tonnes each.

Business development manager for metals at Port of Liverpool, Roy Merryweather, added: “We are encouraging owners of cargo bound for the Northwest and Midlands to bring it in via Liverpool to enjoy the lowest onward cost and these figures show that businesses are receptive to that offering.

“We are also enjoying positive feedback and new business from companies in and around the Liverpool and Manchester area and further afield and the good news is there is more growth potential to target.

“The growth in steel volumes has not only been in bulk shipments, but also in containers and as such we have invested in additional handling equipment for de-stuffing steel products out of containers.”

In April 2011 a new Liebherr harbour mobile crane with 82 tonne capability arrived at the Port of Liverpool, taking the total number in the Peel Ports Mersey fleet to eight.

The crane is equipped with real time diagnostic capability and has the ability to handle 82 tonnes at its hook and 41 tonnes when in spreader mode.

On Sunday 30 October, 535 boxes were handled by one crane in a 12 hour shift on the vessel OOCL Southampton.

Through a concerted team effort on changes to working agreements, systems and equipment deployment, the South Coast container terminal has seen quay crane rates rise almost 25 % throughout 2011.   Average quay crane rates across all vessels is now significantly improved over historic productivity numbers and places Southampton in a leading position in the UK.

Earlier this year DP World Southampton also set another productivity record on the OOCL Southampton with a total of 176 moves per hour over the total vessel call.

Similar improvements on landside operations have also resulted in Freightliner’s Maritime Terminal recording its highest ever daily throughput at Southampton since records began in 1997.  On Wednesday 14th September, 1164 containers were moved to and from the rail terminal.  This has been achieved as a direct result of the completion of the rail gauge clearance project earlier this year which, across all three rail terminals in Southampton, increased the percentage of inland rail containers moves from 30% to 36%.

Chris Lewis, Managing Director, DP World Southampton, said:

“We have set out to demonstrate to our customers and the industry that Southampton can consistently provide a high quality service.  This is truly a team effort across the terminal and I am delighted that all these efforts are paying off in terms of service delivery to our customers.

Chris added:

“This is just the beginning of a fundamental business process change and I am confident we will rise to the challenge and gain the reputation for being the most productive terminal in the UK providing the best service for its customers.”

The new analysis is part of a wider study carried out by economic consultants Martin Associates that revealed in October the economic value of the entire bi-national Great Lakes-Seaway System and its more than 100 ports.

The Port of Hamilton statistics, which include cargo carried to and from the port by U.S., Canadian and international ships, revealed:

Jobs

Of the 98K jobs created in Canada by activity of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway, almost 40% (38K) are created by the activity in the Port of Hamilton which includes 16,482 jobs directly generated by maritime & port activity in Hamilton

Those jobs provide $1.7 billion in personal income

Drives $1.7 billion in local purchases

Economic Activity

The economic activity generated by the Port of Hamilton totals over $5.9 billion or 37% of the Canadian activity generated by the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway

In addition, Provincial and Federal taxes created by the economic impact of the Port of Hamilton total over $700 million

Bruce Wood, president and CEO of Hamilton Port Authority, said: “The value of the Port of Hamilton cannot be emphasized enough.  The importance of this study highlights the fact that the Port is a strong economic driver of the Ontario economy.  The Port of Hamilton is growing rapidly with 76 new contracts signed in the last few years.  Over $200M in new investments means prosperity for Ontario families.”

As these numbers illustrate, thousands of jobs are dependent on the cargo that is transported in and out of our Port.  These jobs range from terminal operators and cargo handlers to steel production jobs that are dependent on the raw materials that are transported to their facilities via ships.  The personal income and business revenues spent on goods and services also support thousands of other jobs in restaurants and shopping centres as well as business suppliers and professional service firms in our communities.”

As the busiest port on the Great Lakes-Seaway navigation system, the Port of Hamilton plays an integral role in supporting trade between Canada and the U.S. as well as overseas destinations.  Agriculture, salt, petroleum, steel and break bulk commodities such as windmill blades and beer vats are just some examples of commodities moving through the Port of Hamilton.

The HPA will continue to grow the prosperity of the port and region.  This will be accomplished by continuing with the current land and water diversification strategy launched in 2008, engaging new industries and increasing the multimodal capacities at the Port. 

Over the same period in FY2011, the port moved 6.2 million tons of cargo.Measured in twenty-foot equivalent units, the GPA’s container volumes saw growth of 3.7 percent. During the July through September period, the ports moved 770,190 TEUs, compared with 742,593 last year. The positive quarterly container results were aided by an early peak shipment of holiday goods, which occurred during September, delivering 11.1 percent TEU growth for the month.

“We are developing new opportunities for growth during these challenging economic times,” Foltz said. “Although our ports are growing market share and volume, we will continue to closely monitor broader economic conditions in the coming months.”

Breakbulk activity in Brunswick and Savannah continues to lead port growth, reporting 16.3 percent quarterly and 31.8 percent September increases. Heavy automobile and machinery throughput is leading the volume surge. Brunswick’s quarterly output, measured in tonnage, showed a 24.8 percent increase over last year, rising from 363,374 tons to 453,358 tons.

In monthly totals, retailers’ earlier than expected holiday season orders pushed the Port of Savannah’s growth rate over last year to 13.5 percent in total tonnage for the month of September, moving 2,080,925 tons of cargo in the single month. That figure is up from 1,833,590 tons moved in September 2010.

The Port of Brunswick recorded 56.2 percent growth over last September’s 110,403 tons, to reach 172,453 in total tonnage for the month.

“The GPA will continue to watch closely and adjust to market forces,” said GPA Board Chairman Alec Poitevint, “so that even during a difficult economy, Georgia’s deepwater ports will remain a catalyst for economic growth and job creation.”