Teesport containers up 70%

Teesport is reporting a 70% year-on-year increase in volumes at its two container terminals so far this year, and is targeting a throughput of 263,000 teu for the full-year 2010.

Operated by PD Ports, Teesport bucked the trend with a 20% increase in volumes through its container terminals last year, to 193,000 teu.

This included a 51% increase in volumes in the second half of the year, after the opening of the new Tesco import centre at Tees Dock.

“Quite frankly, we are blistering ahead of the rest at the moment,” said PD Ports CEO David Robinson.

“I don’t think anybody else would be looking to a 70% growth rate. We also had a record month on our container terminals in May.”

If boxes handled on ro-ro services into the port are added in, Teesport handled a total 414,000teu last year.

PD’s portcentric relationships - where retailer warehouses are based on, or near, port property - are at the centre of this dramatic growth, Robinson said.

As well as the Tesco facility, the Teesport is also home to an Asda import centre, with Asda George at nearby Darlington, a tea and coffee import facility for Taylors of Harrogate, and a new facility for chemicals giant Sabic just outside the dock estate.

“We are targeting a throughput of 263,000teu this year and we are on course for that,” said Robinson.

PD has drawn up plans to increase capacity on its container terminals from 250,000 to 450,000 teu a year, by upgrading yard, infrastructure, IT and purchasing rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

“We would expect, by 2013-1 to be a 600,000teu port, not 400,000,” said Mr Robinson.

“We will be one of the major UK container ports and our ability to put the Tees into the 1 million teu category of port is well within our reach in the next five to 10 years.”

PD’s plans for a new deepwater container terminal are still “in our sights”, he added.

PD is also looking to purchase more land in the near future to support expected growth in containers and portcentric operations.

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