Freight News, Logistics, Sea

Ports chief calls for freight strategy

[ November 27, 2017   //   Chris ]

British Ports Chief Executive Richard Ballantyne has called for a new freight strategy alongside the Government’s Industrial Strategy announced in late November.

He called for a long overdue freight strategy to aid industrial growth and also suggested that ports should be prioritised in the White Paper, with greater focus on transport connectivity and planning to stimulate national and regional development.

Ballantyne said: “The Industrial Strategy is a major and long-term Government exercise, but the focus is very much towards emerging technologies. It is vital that ports and freight are recognised as being essential to national and regional growth and increased international trade.”

He added: “Alongside the White Paper we would like to see a new freight strategy that recognises ports as being vital components of the logistics chain. In recent years the ports sector has seen an unprecedented increase in the level of restrictive planning conditions and environmental designations, which have regularly interfered with port activity and development. This must be addressed.”

The ports sector has seen transport investment largely channelled toward big ticket passenger projects with no real focus on freight. This has had a negative impact on local roads spending, “which often includes last mile connections to ports”.

The BPA is working with partners in the umbrella group Maritime UK to prepare a bid for a maritime sector deal to stimulate attention on measures that would enable ports to develop and grow through embracing technological changes.

Tags: BPA, British Ports Association