The British Ports Association is holding its regular coastal shipping seminar at this year’s London International Shipping Week, during which it will be championing the role and opportunities of moving more freight by water.
The event will be hosted at the London offices of global consultancy Arup and it will bring together all the players in the coastal and short sea shipping industry to discuss how the market is and to examine if there are opportunities for growth. Water transport is widely seen as being by far the greenest method of freight transport and the sector continues to play an important economic role.
Each year around 50 million tonnes of cargo, including timber, steel, fuel, aggregates, construction materials and even waste, as well as sizeable numbers of containers, are transported around Britain by ship, helping to ease congested roads and reduce lorry miles.
The UK’s geography means you’re never more than two hours from the coast and our network of ports means the coastal shipping of a wide variety of cargo types will always be a genuine option.
Richard Ballantyne, the Chief Executive of the British Ports Association, the national trade body for the ports industry which represents over 400 ports and harbours, said:
“Coastal shipping is seen by many as providing a viable transport solution, with both those in the freight sector as well as policy makers looking at how to stimulate growth. Indeed the UK’s wide spread of ports and harbours are ideally suited to facilitating more goods being transported by water. Also as environmental aspirations and targets increase, the business case for moving more freight around our coast is growing.
This will be an exciting event bringing together all parts of the maritime community to look at the challenges and opportunities there are in this sector and what better time to hold this than during London International Shipping Week, when the spotlight is firmly on our sector.
We’ll be looking at the shipping of bulks and unitised goods and listening to what the operators have to say. For those looking to understand coastal shipping or anyone interested in growing the sector this is a must attend event in the LISW calendar!”
Source: British Ports Association