The Department for Transport is launching a new £10m Port Infrastructure Resilience and Connectivity Fund for English Ports in the run up to 31 October 2019. This fund will allow ports to bid for grants of up to £1m each for infrastructure improvements to help prepare for the potential new processes and possible congestion which could arise in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

Commenting on the funding the British Ports Association’s Chief Executive, Richard Ballantyne said:

“We welcome this new funding for ports which a number of operators will apply for to help prepare for Brexit. 

British ports have been working closely with the UK Government for the last three years on a range of Brexit scenarios. The industry is as ready as it can be for a ‘no deal’ although it is clear that this is about mitigating disruption at certain ports, not avoiding it.

The potential challenges are not only for the likes of Dover but also other ports such as Holyhead, Immingham and Portsmouth that handle a mix of driven and unaccompanied vehicle freight between the UK and the EU, which currently flows through ports swiftly. There could also be wider issues for other ports which will rely on the HMRC’s systems to handle a huge increase in customs data. Ports are of course though only one part, albeit an important component, of the logistics chain. We rely on others – freight forwarders, hauliers, agents, Government agencies – to also be ready for what is an unprecedented level of change potentially coming in with little or no notice. A ‘no deal’ would certainly appear to be more of a possibility now and it is prudent to plan for this potential outcome. However while we are not a political organisation we remain firmly of the view that a deal that supports frictionless, free-flowing frontiers is the best outcome and as far as we are aware this is still the Government’s aim. We still hope that the UK and EU can come to a sensible arrangement ahead of the deadline.”

This funding follows the Department’s previously announced Freight Capacity Framework initiative which is aimed at shipping and ferry operators and securing category one goods such as medicines. Separately the Government has announced money for councils in the run up to 31 October 2019.

Established in 1994, Klaipeda Container Terminal (KCT) has grown to become a key part of the Port of Klaipeda, the only port in Lithuania. It is the northernmost ice-free harbour on the eastern coast of the Baltic, and Lithuania’s third-largest city. 

In recent years KCT began to handle new types of cargo while expanding its service range, rapidly increasing its business. KCT needed to invest in new container handling equipment to cope with an expected traffic increase of 60% by 2021. KCT already operates eight Konecranes RTGs and two Konecranes STS cranes.

“We’ve been using Konecranes STS and RTG cranes for over twenty years,” says the CEO of KCT. “So when we needed new equipment, we were confident in our decision to buy from Konecranes again. Also, we are looking ahead towards automation, and these cranes offer us that option when we are ready for it.”

KCT is located in the city of Klaipeda, so noise is an important factor, especially at night. The cranes on order are capable of fully electric operation with an external power supply, greatly reducing noise while simultaneously keeping local emissions to a minimum. The Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbour crane is a G HMK 5506 two-rope variant, with a lifting capacity of 125 tons. It will work as a backup for KCT’s STS cranes, providing additional flexibility when handling general and project cargo.

“I thank Klaipeda Container Terminal for their continuing trust in Konecranes,” says Roman Ivanov, Regional Sales Manager EMEA, Konecranes Port Solutions. “The new Konecranes STS cranes will greatly boost KCT’s quayside handling capacity, and the Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbour crane will give KCT great handling flexibility.”