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Goodwill visit to Merseyside

[ March 11, 2016   //   ]

Shipping Minister Robert Goodwill visited Peel Ports’ Liverpool2 development on 10 March ahead of the container terminal’s opening later this year.
Marine trials are due to begin later this month, with other elements of the build coming online throughout the second quarter of 2016.
The minister said: “Merseyside has a rich maritime history and the future is looking bright thanks to major projects such as the Maritime Knowledge Hub and the deep water container terminal Liverpool2 at the Port of Liverpool. The Government will continue to offer its full support to the maritime industry, a sector which is vitally important to the UK economy.”
Speaking after the Minister’s visit to Liverpool2, Gary Hodgson, Chief Operating Officer at Peel Ports, said: “It was an honour to host the minister and to show him how construction is progressing at Liverpool2. We very much welcome his interest in how developments at and around the Port of Liverpool are attracting strong backing from cargo owners who are increasingly looking to the North-West gateway as a more efficient route to market.”
The Liverpool2 development is part of a £650m investment by Peel Ports in the region and builds on a previous £125m investment in the National Import Centre at Port Salford, the UK’s first tri-modal inland port facility and national distribution park. 
Later during his visit to Liverpool the Minister formally opened the first phase of the new Maritime Knowledge Hub in Wirral. Operated jointly by sector development organisation Mersey Maritime and Liverpool John Moores University, the new facility will be a global centre of excellence within the UK, generating knowledge-led growth and innovation.
Targeting an increased share of a global maritime industries market worth more than £3000 billion, the Hub will create a focal point for the Liverpool city region’s strengths and will ultimately include serviced business start-up space and support, an offshore survival centre and marine simulation centre, and a state-of-the-art facility to help manufacturers design, test and build products or services.
Robert Goodwill said: “This partnership between private, public and academic organisations is key to ensuring that our next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs are ready to succeed.”
Goodwill visit small

Pictured: Gary Hodgson (left) and Robert Goodwill MP

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