Scottish Exporters Bullish on New Shipping Service
As the shipping operator BG Freight Line is set for a new freight service connecting the links, Scotland’s food and drink, chemical and manufacturing industries are looking for a boost.
BG Freight Line, wholly-owned by Clydeport owner Peel Ports, has extended its Irish Sea network with a new service connecting Rotterdam, Liverpool, Belfast, Dublin and Greenock.
The route, which will also take in Belfast, is expected to prove a boon to businesses in the west of Scotland, by cutting the cost of exports to the rest of the UK, Europe and North America.
It follows investment by Peel Ports which in December will launch Liverpool2, the UK’s most centrally-located deep water container terminal, doubling the capacity of the Port of Liverpool and allowing it to handle some of the world’s largest container ships.
Liverpool2 is due to become operational by the end of the year and will be equipped to handle 95% of the world’s biggest cargo ships.
Koert Luitwieler, chief executive officer of BG Freight Line and shipping director for Peel Ports (which owns the shipping line and the ocean terminal), said: “The combination of our port network, our existing feeder services, and this new route allows us to provide international traders with a way to minimise costs, carbon emissions and congestion.”
Peel Ports believes the facility could revolutionise the UK logistics market by handling much of the imported freight that currently comes in through south coast ports.
