CARS AND CRUISES DRIVE SOUTHAMPTON IN FIRST HALF OF 2005
In the first six months of 2005, Associated British Ports (ABP) saw continued growth overall and some important developments at its Port of Southampton – which remains the cruise capital of the UK, the country’s number one car-handling port, and the home to the UK’s second largest deep-sea container terminal.
With overall turnover at the port increasing by 3.8 per cent, the cruise business experienced a particularly successful first half, with 92 cruise calls during the period compared to 86 in the first six months of 2004 and 263,000 passengers passing through the port, up from 214,000 in the same period last year. There was, however, a decrease in container volumes, with a 4 per cent reduction in container throughput at Southampton Container Terminals to 655,000 units. The decrease in container volumes was due to some destocking activity within the UK retail sector and the loss of a service in the second half of 2004. In April, the £0.5m extension to City Cruise Terminal was completed in time for the busy summer season and in anticipation of further increases in cruise traffic passing through the port. Southampton continues to attract the biggest names in the worldwide cruise market, being the UK home port to Carnival Group. In 2005, it is also the regular turnaround port for Royal Caribbean International, Fred Olsen Cruise Line, Saga Cruises and Thomson Cruises. Other major investments at Southampton include a second multi-deck car terminal, which is currently on course to become operational in October 2005. This £4.2m investment will facilitate continued growth in deep-sea car trade, which has seen a 20 per cent increase in volumes handled since the port’s first multi-deck car terminal became operational in 2002.Southampton’s position as the sole UK port of entry for fresh produce from the Canary Islands was strengthened in March, when the agreement between ABP, Southampton Fruit Handling Ltd and the Federations of Canary Island Producers (Fedex Las Palmas and Aceto Tenerife) was renewed for a further four years. Each growing season, the port handles over 100,000 pallets of fresh produce from the Canary Islands. During this period, two refrigerated vessels call at the purpose-built ABP Canary Islands Terminal in Southampton’s Western Docks every week, for discharge by specialist company Southampton Fruit Handling Ltd.
In other developments, Andrew Kent retired from his post as Port Director of the port at the end of March, after more than 15 years at the helm. He was succeeded by Doug Morrison, formerly Port Director for ABP’s Ports of Hull & Goole, who was subsequently appointed to the board of Associated British Ports Holdings PLC on 26 April.
Doug Morrison, ABP Port Director, Southampton, said: “This is an exciting time for the Port of Southampton with a number of challenges and opportunities lying ahead. The continued growth in the majority of core trades is extremely encouraging and we will endeavour to work even more closely with customers to satisfy their needs for the future. By doing this, we will continue to offer an unbeatable service.”
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