UK Major Ports Group reveal new chief executive
The trade body for the UK’s biggest ports has appointed Welshman Geraint Evans as its new chief executive. Mr Evans, a special adviser under three consecutive Tory Prime Ministers in David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson , will take up his role with the UK Major Ports Group (UKMPG) in May. Between them UKMPG members provide the gateways for 75% of UK trade while investing £500m per annually in their ports and infrastructure. In Wales ABP’s ports of Cardiff, Barry, Newport and Port Talbot are members. Mr Evans brings extensive experience of Whitehall departments and Parliament having been an early champion of the UK Government’s levelling up agenda. He was a special adviser to former Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns. Mr Evans, who is from the Vale of Glamorgan said: “It is a privilege to be joining the UK Major Ports Group as chief executive at such a crucial time for the UK’s economic outlook. Our major ports across the country are central to a growing and sustainable economy. As many key parts of our economy transition, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to support our major ports in helping the UK deliver sustainable economic growth across the country.” Chairman of UKMPG, Charles Hammond, said: “We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Geraint Evans as chief executive. Geraint has extensive experience of operating within government at the highest levels and has a proven track record of developing and influencing policy. We look forward to welcoming Geraint to UKMPG,at this crucial time, when the role of ports is continuing to adapt to support the UK economy transition to a low carbon future.” A decision on a freeport for Wales could be announced in next week’s Budget from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Three bids were submitted; a joint bid between the ports of Milford Haven and Port Talbot (known as the Celtic Freeport), a bid being driven by Newport Council, which includes Cardiff Airport and a number of other locations including land owned by the Welsh Government at Rhyd y Blew in Blaenau Gwent and the Port of Holyhead. The decision will be a joint one between the UK and Welsh governments, following an agreement which saw the Westminster administration signing off on a funding package of £26m to establish a Welsh freeport. Read More: The three bidders for a Welsh freeport
Devon transport firm bought out of administration, securing 144 jobs
Devon transport firm STR Logistics has been sold, securing 144 jobs. The Exeter-based business and its assets have been acquired by Devon & Cornwall Logistics Limited (DCL) for an undisclosed sum. Insolvency practitioner SFP, which documents filed on Companies House show was appointed last month, confirmed STR was in administration at the time of the sale. Founded in 2002 by Steven Richardson, STR provides home deliveries, pallet distribution and secure freight handling services across the South West. In 2021 Mr Richardson sold the business to Anthony Quinn and Peter Adams, who were previously senior leaders at international logistics company Kuehne + Nagel, and had wanted to relocate to Devon to start their own venture. At the time of that deal, the pair said they had plans to expand STR’s core region to include Gloucestershire, Bristol and South Wales and double the size of the business within five years. Following a buy-out, the company’s turnover was on an upward trajectory increasing from £2.9m in the year to June 2020, to £3.7m in 2021 and £6.7m in 2022. Administrators said a combination of rising costs, including fuel and wages, a shortage of available spare parts, increased lead time for vehicles and the general downturn of the economy, led to "numerous trading difficulties and the accumulation of creditor arrears". Professional guidance was sought in December 2022, and after options were considered for the business, a marketing campaign was undertaken to source a buyer as part of a restructure, with the deal with DCL completed on January 31. . Mr Quinn, who is DCL's chief executive, said that the new company would continue to trade under the banner of STR, adding: “Our new management team, improved corporate strategy and good old-fashioned excellent service will ensure this business can go from strength to strength.” David Kemp, joint administrator at SFP, says that in the face of “very difficult circumstances” the sale achieved a “constructive outcome”. Mr Kemp added: “The impact of record inflation and other economic constraints placed enormous pressure on STR logistics, which sustained irretrievable damage as a result. “The sale to Devon and Cornwall Logistics Limited was the best solution to achieving the preferred outcome: the retention of STR Logistics employees, maximised value for stakeholders and ongoing services to the business’ valuable clients.” Read next:
Latvian logistics specialist buys Humber haulier as it enters UK market
A Latvian transport and logistics group has swooped for a long-established Humber haulier. Kreiss SIA, operational across Europe, has bought out C Neil Dowson, the Stallingborough-based business that first launched in Hull in 1990, in an undisclosed deal. It provides haulage services across the UK, boasting a fleet of tractor units, skeletal trailers, forklifts, and its own yard located a mile from the eastern entrance to Britain’s largest port, Immingham. It all forms part of the deal, providing Kreiss with a new base in the UK, further expanding international operations, with 26 staff employed. Read more: Deal off - talks have failed over Grimsby seafood plant buy-out where nearly 200 jobs are at risk Sergejs Zalizko, director, said: “We are delighted to welcome C Neil Dowson into the Kreiss Group. This acquisition will help us build out our UK base to enhance our services for clients in the UK. C Neil Dowson has an excellent reputation in the market, and we are pleased to be working with them and their team to continue to deliver first-class haulage solutions to customers.” Kreiss, launched in 1994 with a single truck, provides transportation for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, hazardous cargo, and frozen and perishable goods. It now has offices in six countries, a fleet of 2,000 trucks and trailers, and employs around 2,400 staff, turning over more than £260 million. Dowson moved from Hull to Immingham in 2001, when its Maritime Yard on Scandinavian Way, Kiln Lane Industrial Estate, became available. Neil Dowson, operations director, will remain with the business for at least the next year following the deal. He said: “Over the past 32 years of trading, C Neil Dowson company has been recognised by its customers, staff and suppliers for its loyalty and reliability within the market. These principles can now be carried into the future with the support of Kreiss behind us. Becoming part of Kreiss Group marks a new chapter for C Neil Dowson and I am confident that it will be a positive move for the business and its customers.” A team from Weightmans led by Paul Raftery, provided legal advice to Kreiss on the acquisition, its first in the UK, with Chasz Coulsting at Crowe UK and Stuart Laight at SJL Advisory. For Dowson, Mark Daubney at Bridge McFarland and Mike Beckett at Forrester Boyd supported.
Welcome return to commercial use of Aire and Calder Navigation to link Hull and Leeds
A historic Yorkshire waterway is once again welcoming regular commercial traffic. The 500-tonne capacity barge MMS Off-Roader has started using the historic Aire and Calder Navigation to transport marine aggregate from the city’s Albert Dock to Leeds. It follows significant investment from Hull maritime firm MMS Workboats, AC Marine Aggregates and the Canal and River Trust, and extensive trials. Each trip is welcome news for those using the strategic road network too, eliminating up to 25 heavy goods vehicles from the A62 and M62. It is hoped more companies will follow the lead. Read more: Largest vessel ever welcomed to the Humber as near 20-year record sunk Regular commercial traffic has not used the route for more than a decade. The trip starts its journey at the port, using the Humber to head inland, with the vessel locking into the canal at Goole before heading to Knostrop, to the south of Leeds. From there the aggregates are distributed by land across the local building industry. David Lowe, of the Commercial Boat Operators Association, said: “Commercial traffic is returning to the Aire and Calder Canal after a lot of hard work by a lot of people. Britain’s waterways are an underused part of the transport network, with an ability to deliver heavy goods in a quiet but efficient way that helps keep heavy lorries off the roads. The run of MMS Off-Roader is something to celebrate and is the largest vessel to reach central Leeds for 30 years.” Another sustainable accolade for the MMS Off-Roader is that it has been repurposed. The vessel was originally a tanker named the Humber Princess, built in Hull in 1979. MMS’s skilled team, planned and delivered the conversion project, taking just short of a year. Rob Langton, MMS’s managing director, said: “As a key part of the local marine industry MMS are very happy to get this ship underway with what we hope is the first of a regular trade for the building industry of West Yorkshire. It is a shipment that takes heavy goods vehicles off our pressurised road network, a win for logistics and the wider environment.” An important part of the conversion of the 60m by 6m vessel was to ensure the crew operating her have superior facilities onboard, as they journey along the waterways. Mr Langton added: “We are keen to encourage young people to consider a career in shipping. The safety and welfare of our team is of paramount importance to us, and it was key that we ensured all the comforts of home could be provided to those working the barge.” Free trial runs are now being offered for those interested in exploring potential waterway options, with capability to handle special cargoes and containers as well as bulks, break bulks and liquids. Two trips a week can be factored in for those looking to charter her. Simon Bird, ABP Humber director, said: “Operating commercial vessels across the region’s waterways will bring huge benefits to the area. Along with a reduction in emissions, taking heavy goods vehicles off the roads will also help reduce road congestion and improve safety. “Congratulations to MMS Workboats of Hull and the wider team involved with this project.”
UK fishing fleet backed by Orsted to help clean up North Sea marine litter
Offshore wind giant Orsted is giving the UK fishing fleet the tools to help in a last line of defence against marine litter. Starting in Grimsby and including East Coast ports further south, it is building on its groundbreaking WWF partnership and other initiatives aimed at stimulating and sustaining biodiversity in the waters it builds in. Fishing for Litter, run by Danish-founded local authorities international environmental organisation KIMO UK, is described as a unique project, aimed at reducing plastic pollution. Described as simple but effective, participating vessels are given hardwearing bags to collect marine litter caught while fishing. On return to port, they are disposed of in dedicated skips - with all items provided by the project. Read more: Huge seagrass scale-up for Humber Estuary should Hornsea Four offshore wind farm emerge Orsted’s fishing industry representatives, who have well established and often long-term relationships with fishers working within the vicinity of the company’s wind farms, act as liaison officers. It was instigated with a questionnaire, circulated through the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisation and Holderness Fishing Industry Group. They found that providing bins and skips on quaysides would be the best solution. Lara Leonard, commercial fisheries manager at Orsted, said: “Our aim is to provide long term action and to work alongside fishing communities to help them be at the forefront of the fight against marine litter. Over the past couple of years, we’ve been engaging directly with fishers and fishing organisations to make sure that we can facilitate an effective and functional solution which works for them. Our main focus is to aid and empower fishers to make a difference, while also building on the positive relations with the fishing community who work within or near to our wind farm sites.” Disposal facilities will be provided at up to six ports along the east of England for the 30-year lifespan of Hornsea Three, through which it is being funded. The west coast and north into Yorkshire are also being looked at, with recycling options being explored. Julia Cant, KIMO UK administrator and Fishing for Litter project coordinator, said: “Orsted’s support provides a long term commitment to annual costs, helping KIMO to realise its ambitions both to expand the scheme more widely around the UK and to ensure that as much marine waste as possible is disposed of responsibly through recycle/reuse. Hornsea Three’s lifetime commitment to support Fishing for Litter will help secure the project’s future, contributing directly to a reduction in the amount of marine litter in our oceans and an increased awareness of the ecological, environmental and economic impacts that it causes. “We have received an extremely positive response and great support in all harbours visited, which has been very encouraging and it has been tremendous to see the Fishing for Litter grow as such pace.” Joining Grimsby, where Orsted’s £14 million East Coast Hub sits on the Royal Dock, are Cromer, Kings Lynn, East Runton and Boston. Mike Cohen, NFFO deputy chief executive, said: “Fishing for Litter schemes have been a great success in many areas and I am delighted by the launch of this new initiative. Clean and healthy seas are hugely important to all of us. No-one knows or cares more about this beautiful, dangerous, fascinating environment than the fishermen who spend their lives around it. Participating in a Fishing for Litter scheme is another way that fishermen can look after these places that mean so much to them.”
Port of Blyth chosen as construction base for huge offshore wind farm
A North East port has been chosen as the construction base for one of the world’s largest wind farms. The recently redeveloped Bates Clean Energy Terminal at the Port of Blyth will be used for RWE’s Sofia offshore wind scheme in the North Sea. The new-build facility will include office space, a storage area and a car park, with the facility in place for the next three-and-a-half years. Following the decision two years ago to site an operations and maintenance base for the Dogger Bank wind farm at the Port of Tyne, the decision cements the North East’s position as a key region in the lucrative and fast-growing offshore energy sector. Read more:offshore sector optimistic for year ahead The base will host RWE’s Marine Coordination Centre personnel, who are responsible for the planning and coordination of all offshore activities during the construction phase of the Sofia Offshore Wind Farm. It will have direct access to the port’s heavy lift quay, as well as other services. Martin Lawlor, chief executive of Port of Blyth, said: “We are delighted to have been selected by RWE as the base for the construction of such a significant UK development. Having over 21 years of experience in the offshore wind sector, the port is proud to be at the forefront of projects of this scale contributing to the energy transition. With the addition of strategic partners like RWE, Bates Clean Energy Terminal will continue to attract major offshore energy companies to join the clean energy revolution here in Blyth.” Matthew Swanwick, RWE’s Sofia project director, said: “Choosing the base for Sofia’s offshore construction has been a key decision as it will be home to the team for more than three years and will play a vital role in the successful completion of the project. The Port of Blyth offers us not only a strategic location and access to a strong marine supply chain but also an impressive new facility that will also ensure a legacy beyond the project.” The 1.4GW Sofia Offshore Wind Farm project is located on Dogger Bank in the North Sea, 120 miles off the North East coast. The construction base is the Port of Blyth’s second announcement related to the Sofia project, following a decision by Dutch firm Van Oord to use the port for the storage and mobilisation of cables for the wind farm. A number of reports in recent weeks have highlighted the opportunities for the North East to capitalise on the global shift to decarbonising power generation and other areas. But the reports from the likes of Deloitte, Onward and ORE Catapult have also pointed to significant challenges for the sector, including skills shortages, lack of public investment and competition from other parts of the world. READ NEXT: Kinewell Energy ramps up growth after landing major offshore wind contract Nissan passes 250,000 Leaf milestone at Sunderland plant