Wednesday, December 4, 2019

New Container Terminal Extension Added Due to Rise in Freight Tonnages

Less Than Six Months to Complete Multi Million Pound Addition
Shipping News Feature

UK – The Port of Tyne has completed a multi-million pound container terminal extension. Completed in just under 6 months, growth of 25% in container volumes in the past five years has seen the port invest substantially to extend its 20 acre container terminal.

The Port of Tyne’s container terminal originally opened in 1991 to service the needs of the North of England’s supply chain. Almost 30 years on the terminal handles everything from manufacturing parts for Nissan, Komatsu and Hitachi to 30% of the UK’s tea, wine, clothing, and consumer goods, to furniture, machinery and recovered materials.

The port says that the increase in container tonnages in recent years has seen investment of £2 million in extending its container terminal, reconfiguring the layout, repositioning the weighbridge and extending its capacity by 40% to almost 70,000 square metres. Matt Beeton, Port of Tyne Chief Executive Officer, said:

“This marks a new era in transformation for the Port of Tyne, helping global shippers to transport cargo more efficiently to their destination and ensuring we continue to service a growing customer base in the North East, North West and Scotland.

“Container shipping through the Port of Tyne avoids congestion in the south and unnecessary road miles reducing carbon emissions by as much as 80% for some of our customers as well as saving time and money.”

The £2 million extension was officially opened by The Hon. James Ramsbotham CBE Chief Executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce, who commented:

“Investing in multimodal connectivity is so important for the northern economy, I am delighted to officially declare the new Tyne Container Terminal open for business, and it will provide a state-of-the-art gateway for importers and exporters with road, rail and deep-sea connections linking directly to the heart of the UK mainland.”

The extended deep-sea facility will complement the existing port services and, according to the ports, has the annual capacity to handle a throughput of around 100,000 TEUs.

The container extension was completed in just under six months by Seymour Civil Engineering Contractors based in Hartlepool.

Photo: The £2 million extension was officially opened by The Hon. James Ramsbotham CBE Chief Exec of NEECC (L) with Matt Beeton Port of Tyne CEO (R)