Nine out of 10 respondents to a questionnaire put to the public during the Master Plan consultation came out in broad support of the strategy – the 20-year vision for growth and future developments at the Port of Liverpool and on the Manchester Ship Canal, which would see a 70% growth in tonnage handled and create up to 8000 jobs. However 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 issues regarding Seaforth Nature Reserve, the environment, port traffic & congestion, Eastham Village, the Warrington swing bridges, and jobs, training & skills and procurement.

Peel Ports immediately committed to looking into these six topics in detail, and to forming working groups of senior staff to focus on each area, with the aim of formulating action plans. These groups have been working over recent months and now, in a newly-published Interim Consultation Report, Peel Ports has identified the following:

Seaforth Nature Reserve:

Need to meet the requirements of The Habitats Directive in terms of a case of “overriding public interest” and demonstrating the lack of alternative solutions.

Identify and evaluate the suitability and delivery of compensatory habitat.

Work with local communities to more fully understand their aspirations for local green assets and explore opportunities for investment.

Environment:

Progress and publicise a protocol for the handling of port-related complaints. Work jointly with Environmental Health and Port Health authorities, and the Environment Agency in the investigation and remedying of port-related incidents and complaints.

Undertake environmental monitoring upon the port estate, particularly around noise and dust emissions.

Port Traffic & Congestion

Explore ways in which we can reduce the reliance upon HGV movements associated with our existing activities.

Encourage the development of “multi-modal” freight solutions in partnership with existing port operators and as part of new development opportunities.

Continue to work with regional stakeholders to lobby Government for funding for surface access transport improvements.

Eastham Village:

Commit to full pre-application with stakeholders in respect of the Port Wirral project.

Assess the suitability of port-related projects upon land adjacent to QEII Dock and discuss any appropriate mitigation measures.

Undertake an appraisal of current port-related HGV activity in the area and will evaluate the need for appropriate mitigation measures.

Warrington Swing Bridges:

Complete a Memorandum of Understanding with Warrington Borough Council.

Evaluate and instigate measures around better vessel planning and the scheduling of shipping movements.

Work with the Council to develop prior warning notification systems and the dissemination of information locally.

Jobs, Training & Procurement

Establish a protocol in conjunction with local authorities for targeted recruitment to enable local people to better access port jobs.

Work with local schools, colleges and universities to highlight the opportunities within the ports sector and in order to develop training in the necessary skills.

Assess the current level of local supplier utilisation and examine ways in which local companies can benefit from the future growth plans.

Peel Ports Group Head of Planning Warren Marshall said:

“We continue to be 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.

“Now, as promised following the consultation, we have considered the six areas of concern in more detail. These Action Plans will be further developed and will inform the publication of a revised Master Plan in due course later this year.

“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.”

“MacGregor cranes offer efficient and reliable cargo handling solutions to our customers,” says Svante Lundberg, Sales Manager for cargo cranes at Cargotec.

In addition, the event also commemorated the M/V Rigel Leader as the Port of Vancouver’s First Vessel of the Next Century. The port celebrated its centennial at its 2012 Port Re:Port breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, shortly before the M/V Rigel Leader began discharging 659 automobiles for Subaru of America. The ceremony following the annual state-of-the-port event marked the M/V Rigel Leader as the first ship to call on the Port of Vancouver during it second 100 years.

Cherian and his 23-member crew were welcomed to Vancouver by Mayor Timothy Leavitt, Vancouver port manager for Subaru Ann Tetreault, superintendent for Ports America Mike Munson, vessel agent for Inchcape Shipping Services Gary Martinke, and port representatives Commissioner Nancy Baker, Executive Director Larry Paulson, Alastair Smith, Debbie Taylor, Mike Schiller, Addison Jacobs, Theresa Wagner, Katie Odem, and Mackenzie Field.

Chief Engineer K. Raghuram, Chief Officer Pradeep Mansabdar, First Assistant Engineer P.P. Jathar and Mitsubishi representative Tetsuya Yamada were present as well.

The M/V Rigel Leader was built in Marugame, Japan and was delivered March 8, 2012. The vessel is 656 feet in length and has a deadweight capacity of 18,884 tons. The crew for the vessel’s first visit to the Port of Vancouver USA was from India and the Philippines. The vessel is owned by FPG Shipholding Panama 5 S.A. and operated by NYK Ship Management. Inchcape Shipping Services is the agent for the vessel.

The M/V Rigel Leader sailed from Marugame, Japan and will discharge 5,120 vehicles during her journey. The vessel departed the Port of Vancouver on April 6 and will unload motor vehicles in Richland and San Diego before starting her second voyage.

Group photo, from left: Gary Martinke, Inchcape Shipping Services; Alastair Smith, Port of Vancouver, Commissioner Nancy Baker, Port of Vancouver; K. Raghuram, Rigel Leader; Larry Paulson, Port of Vancouver; David Cherian; Rigel Leader; Mayor Timothy Leavitt, city of Vancouver; Ann Tetreault, Subaru of America; Mike Munson, Ports America; Addison Jacobs, Port of Vancouver and Pradeep Mansabdar, Rigel Leader

Bromma first quarter orders were widespread across all regions. In Latin America, where Bromma set a 2011 record for crane spreader sales (130 units), first quarter 2012 orders included 5 separating twin-lift spreaders to ICTSI Manzanillo, Mexico; 6 yard all-electric spreaders to Terminal Especializado de Contendor, Terminal Maritimo Buenaventura, Colombia; 3 Greenline™ all-electrics for Exolgan in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and 7 separating twin-lift STS spreaders for Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Barranquilla in Colombia. Other significant first quarter orders also included, in Malaysia, 10 Greenline™ all-electrics to Northport and 4 STS45 separating twin-lift STS spreaders to Westport; in Jordan, 8 crane spreaders (3 ship-to-shore separating twins plus 5 yard twin-lift separating twins) to the Port of Aqaba; and in Turkey, 10 Greenline™ all-electrics to the Port of Mersin.

In the mobile harbour crane spreader segment, Bromma’s order book remains robust. The industry’s leading supplier of spreaders for mobile harbour crane spreader applications, Bromma won contracts for a total of 59 mobile harbour crane spreaders during the first quarter of 2012 from a variety of MHC manufacturers.

In the automated terminal segment, in the first quarter of 2012 Bromma recorded orders for another 20 crane spreaders for automated terminals. Bromma’s most recent substantial automated terminal orders are for the London Gateway project in the United Kingdom and the Trapac terminal project in Los Angeles. In each case orders were for Bromma’s pioneering all-electric spreaders, which are being specified due to their inherent reliability, fewer service points, lighter weight, and the absence of any hydraulics, 

Inquiries pertaining to automated operations remain strong, and Bromma continues to be the first mover in spreaders for automated terminals, with nearly 400 crane spreaders today on order or in service at automated operations. Earlier Bromma automated terminal orders (in 2011) have included such sizable projects as contracts for 34 all-electric crane spreaders to Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi, and 40 all-electric crane spreaders to Barcelona in Spain.

New Orders for Container Weight Verification Technology

Container weight verification continues to be an area of growing customer interest, particularly as a result of recent calls from the World Shipping Council and International Chamber of Shipping for the International Maritime Organization to mandate container weight verification prior to stowage and export. This proposed new requirement from IMO would have a required implementation target of 2013. Bromma container weight verification technology (container weighing from sensors located in the spreader twistlocks) is an ideal way to implement the proposed 2013 requirement, as spreader-based weight verification is more accurate (container weight accuracy to within 1%) than crane container-weighing technology (crane container-weighing technology is typically accurate only to within 10% of actual weight). In addition, when containers are weighed by the spreader such weight verification can be accomplished during the normal container handling process (no extra steps are required.) By comparison, containers weighed on a separate weigh bridge require the added time to weigh and transport for weighing each container.

In the first quarter 2012 Bromma recorded new container weight verification technology orders for 21 crane spreaders, roughly equal to Bromma’s prior entire load sensing system order total. Bromma today has more than 40 weight verification spreaders in service or on order, including at terminals in China, Brasil, and the United Kingdom. Container weight verification has both safety and operational planning benefits. From a safety standpoint, Bromma load sensing technology creates a safer lifting environment, and from an operational standpoint, it aids in container stacking planning.