2020 could be a pivotal year in the relationship between Liverpool City Region and the 海角视频 economy in a post-Brexit world.
Regardless of where people stand politically, it seems clear following the December general election that there will finally be movement towards new trading arrangements.
The Liverpool area is ideally placed to support a positive future for the nation鈥檚 import and export activity 鈥 something that was clearly captured in a major report published earlier in 2019.
Mersey Maritime, working with Maritime 海角视频 and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), commissioned the research, which found that the sector directly drove just under 拢2 billion in domestic output through business turnover in 2017. It also produced 拢650 million in GVA and 7,899 jobs, making it the 海角视频鈥檚 stand out region.
Chris Shirling-Rooke, CEO of Mersey Maritime, said: 鈥淭he national report showed the industry to be a massive contributor to the economic wellbeing of the 海角视频 and the findings of this new report have confirmed how significant the LCR contribution is within that.
"It鈥檚 even more remarkable considering that they exclude non-maritime logistics operations. These positive findings are a real vote of confidence in the dynamism and hard work of the people Mersey Maritime deal with on a day to day basis.鈥
The maritime sector supports other major sectors of the economy, such as offshore oil, gas and renewable energy, as well as automotive exports.
The report explained that the footprint of the maritime sector in the LCR is extensive and diverse, spread across areas of transport, infrastructure, training, business services and equipment manufacturing.
An inevitable consequence of Brexit is that trade opportunities across the Atlantic have been more in focus. Liverpool is the 海角视频鈥檚 foremost port for commerce with the Americas, a point recently underlined with major shipping line ACL committing to a new 15-year deal.
ACL is already the largest ocean carrier operating at Liverpool鈥檚 Royal Seaforth Container Terminal (RSCT) and the port鈥檚 longest serving container carrier.
The new agreement demonstrates ACL鈥檚 confidence in the growing volume of transatlantic trade between the 海角视频 and North America and ACL鈥檚 commitment to the Port of Liverpool and the strong relationship forged for more than 50 years.
Anders Ivarsson, Managing Director 海角视频 & SE, ACL, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 clear to us that there is growing demand for cargo shipping through the Port of Liverpool, with it providing the most direct transatlantic import and export connections for many 海角视频 businesses.鈥
This latest positive news for the region followed the introduction of a weekly feeder service from Southampton to Liverpool for global shipping line Yang Ming, which exceeded all expectations and underlined the need for a direct call from the Far East.
This was echoed by B&M, which stated its plans to move 100% of its cargo from southern ports to Liverpool if there was a direct call from the Far East, helping ease congestion down south, cut road miles and provide new growth opportunities for the 海角视频鈥檚 maritime industry by increasing capacity.
Peel Ports recently entered into an agreement with global terminal business, Terminal Investment Limited Sarl (TiL). The proposed joint venture involves the development of the Liverpool2 container terminal and will enable Peel Ports to accelerate its ambitious growth plans.
To help accommodate this anticipated demand, work has already begun on phase 2 of the Liverpool2 container terminal.
The multi-million pound project will significantly increase the footprint of the site and see the addition of ten cantilever rail mounted gantry cranes (CRMGs), plus three ship-to-shore cranes that already arrived in December.
This follows a record breaking 12% YOY growth for the container service in October.
The past year has also seen a focus on driving efficiencies across the business, with the average truck turnaround time at the Port of Liverpool now consistently below 40 minutes, a 海角视频 leading service standard.
These investments and improvements are opening up trade opportunities for 海角视频 firms and helping business to reduce costs, congestion and carbon emissions.
Mark Whitworth, CEO at Peel Ports, said: 鈥淭he maritime sector is an enabler of trade, ensuring the supply of energy, food and commodities 鈥 the import and export of which is crucial for other 海角视频 businesses to thrive.
"As we look ahead to a post-Brexit trading future, Liverpool is not only strategically located for imports and exports, it has the relevant investment and infrastructure to make it the 海角视频鈥檚 most important and valuable trade link with the rest of the world."
