The team behind Clydeport, Scotland’s global deep-sea gateway, is preparing to welcome an audience of over 100 shipping industry experts to a one-of-a-kind conference this month (Thursday 28 September) at Glasgow’s iconic Science Centre Auditorium.
A speaker panel consisting representatives from each touchpoint in Scotland’s import/export process will discuss how they have collaborated to improve the journey of consumer goods from Greenock to the rest of the world via the £400 million ($540 mln) Liverpool2 Terminal at the Port of Liverpool.
Also for discussion is the industry’s hopes of improving export routes to reduce overall costs for Scottish goods like whisky.
Peel Ports Chief Executive Officer, Mark Whitworth explains: “Our investment in Liverpool2 has created opportunities for our other ports and Greenock is a perfect example. The key to this has been addressing the operation of feeder services, which provide vital connections between major ‘hub’ ports and the network of smaller facilities across the country.
“The panel who will speak at the event will discuss a live case study which has answered a real business challenge for us all. By making a few scheduling changes, these people have transformed our offering to our customers right across the world.
“Mega ocean container ships can call directly into Liverpool, which brings deep-sea connections much closer to Scotland. However, the previous feeder scheduling model meant that exports from Greenock would miss the big connection. Our panel have remedied that, and it’s made a massive difference.
In March this year, following a full review of the feeder service, BG Freight Line – the feeder service responsible for moving cargo from Greenock to Liverpool - changed its scheduling to connect with deep and short sea services via Liverpool. These include ACL’s transatlantic timetables, Saint Lawrence Container Services on MSC, Hapag and OOCL, MacAndrews Portuguese, Seago, WEC Lines and Borchard.
The destinations of the containers that come through Greenock Ocean Terminal vary, with many making their way to various whisky bonds along the Scottish West Coast to be loaded and brought back to Greenock for shipment to the Americas. Peel Ports’ investment in Liverpool2 has given the team the confidence to plan for an even brighter future for Scotland’s export capabilities.
The Global Deep Sea Gateway to Scotland Conference panel will include Andrew Hemphill of Peel Ports Clydeport; Rachel Cheng of BG Freight Line; Colin Fletcher of UPM and Paul Murray of X-Press Shipping.
All 100 guests in attendance will also be taken on a bespoke cruise of the Clyde where they will enjoy an evening of light music and networking.
