Peel Ports celebrates award win at Mersey Maritime Industry Awards

2018 was a year of significant milestones for Peel Ports, especially its container division in Liverpool, including a first direct call from China, its biggest container ship to date, a new rail freight service and a double-digit growth.

Accepting the award on behalf of Peel Ports, Chief Operating Officer, Patrick Walters said: “We are leading the way in bringing enhanced resilience and efficiency to the supply chain. By offering a viable, and in many ways more efficient, alternative to southern ports, the Port of Liverpool is supporting much needed change in the freight and logistics sector that will ultimately reduce costs, road miles and carbon emissions.”

The company has also secured a new 2M permanent transatlantic container service, the Canadian Express service connecting southern European Ports with Liverpool and ultimately Canada, as well as continued growth with key customers and national retailers such as B&M. Peel Ports is set to bring 250 new staff on board during 2019 in anticipation of new commercial opportunities.

Over 400 guests attended the awards on Thursday 14 March to see accolades handed out to the best of the maritime industry from the Liverpool City Region and across the UK.

The awards, held at the city’s Titanic Hotel, are now considered one of the most prestigious events on the national maritime calendar. They were hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin, with keynote speaker Harry Theochari, Chair of Maritime UK.

Winners were decided by an expert judging panel made up of business leaders across the UK. Mersey Maritime’s CEO, Chris Shirling-Rooke, said the awards recognise the full spectrum and diversity of the UK’s maritime industry, which is clear in the finalists and winners of the awards.

He said: “The theme of the awards this year was ‘Building the Future’, which highlights the importance of the industry collaborating – by working together we can achieve more. This is why the landmark Government Maritime 2050 report is so important as this sets out the future direction for the industry. Mersey Maritime is not only aligned to Maritime 2050 but is leading the way.”

Delivering his keynote speech, Theochari spoke about the new government strategy for the industry; the Maritime 2050 report. He said: “For the first time in living memory the government are becoming invested in maritime.”

"The government says the ‘ocean economy’ will be worth three trillion dollars by 2050 and there is no reason we cannot grab a slice of that… we have to remain a great maritime nation and we have to do it in an environmentally sustainable way, we have to create jobs and we have to go forward with diversity in our sector."

“Mersey Maritime has shown great confidence in our industry at a time when we really need it.”

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/ports-terminals/20032019/peel-ports-celebrates-award-win-at-mersey-maritime-industry-awards/