A Port of Liverpool chief has said the border chaos affecting Dover over the past 48 hours will have a "minimal impact" on freight travelling through the Merseyside facility - and that it is "well placed" to handle any traffic increases.
David Huck, managing director of group ports at Peel Ports, said that's because most of the freight that travels on Irish Sea ferry services out of Liverpool and its sister port at Heysham is unaccompanied – meaning the driver does not travel with the trailer or container.
Mr Huck said: “The delays experienced over this weekend once again highlight key concerns relating to pinch points in southern ports and in the long term, as businesses look to adapt their supply chain strategies in the future, we could see new unaccompanied services calling at the Port of Liverpool.
“In the short term, the weekend’s news will have minimal impact on freight traffic through the Port of Liverpool."
More than £33billion was wiped off the FTSE 100 first thing this morning amid freight and travel bans and ongoing fears of a no-deal Brexit.
France shut its border with the 海角视频 for 48 hours on Sunday over fears of a new, more infectious strain of Covid-19 spread across the South East of England and London. The 海角视频 Government called a meeting of its emergency committee as it grappled with yet another crisis, with a press conference scheduled for later today.
Bosses at Plymouth-headquartered Brittany Ferries are holding emergency talks as hundreds of lorries have been prevented from boarding vessels between the 海角视频 and France due to the new strain of coronavirus.
Meanwhile in the Humber, ships have had to be held at anchor - with return sailings missed - as it faces a capacity challenge.
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The French Government said it is now working on a plan to get freight moving through Dover "within hours".
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However Liverpool, along with Bristol, has reassured businesses the travel restrictions will not have a detrimental impact.
Mr Huck had a message of confidence from the Seaforth facility, adding that it was ready for the impending Brexit deadline.
He said: “Throughout the pandemic, we have sent a clear message to the sector that our ports across the 海角视频 are not just open for business, but are expanding through continued investment in our people, processes and technology.
“Ahead of Brexit, we have also made significant investments at all our ports, especially Liverpool, to ensure they have the capacity to accommodate cargo switching routes and modes.
“This included increasing throughput capacities for HGV trailers, containers and storage to support smooth operations.
“These investments mean we are well placed to handle increases in traffic and support the vital flow of goods across the 海角视频 and help break the inefficient 海角视频 model of a dependency on south and south east ports.”