River Trent Feasability Study
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Commercial Boat Operators Association Newsletter Issue 2 March 2008 cboa news River Trent feasability study In this issue The East Midlands Development Freight Strategy.Increased use of p2 Ombudsman success Agency has commissioned a £100k the River for freight would also p3 Tesco uses water for wine feasibility study on increasing use contribute to the aspirations of the p4 Canary Wharf for Hanson of the River Trent to Nottingham. Department of Transport’s White p6 Joined up IWAC While the northern 81 km from Paper: The Future of Transport the Humber Estuary of the river is (2004).That outlines Government p6 Regional news tidal, the 33km above Crowell Lock policy to encourage the transfer of to Nottingham.constrains carrying freight from road to sea and inland 3 Additional market opportunities capacity because the river extends waterways. that would be opened up through enlarged navigation, particularly to through six locks of a limited size There are four inter-related and from the Humber ports and in Newark, there are some objectives to the key one of restricting bridges seeing how feasible it would be to 4 Locations for wharves to handle British Waterways will manage the encourage a shift towards more traffics for both the existing and project.The project team includes sustainable modes of transport in improved waterway, including the CBOA’s Tim West of Wynns.As part of the East Midlands.The team will feasibility of establishing an inland their brief the team will look at the investigate: port in the Nottingham area. possibility of developing an inland 1 Market opportunities for moving They will also be looking at the port near Nottingham. goods on the river within the potential for container traffic to and Glenn Millar, Economic Development Nottingham – Gainsborough corridor, from the Humber ports. Manager for British Waterways, told given the existing navigational “Obviously we hope the report CBOA News they would be looking constraints will identify how we can get more at both short term and long term 2 Options for removing those freight up the river and also better possibilities. constraints to improve navigation serve the East Midlands,” said Mr “We’ll be looking at what we need and allow larger vessels to reach the Millar,“that’s what we hope will to do to get more traffic and bigger Nottingham area come out of it!” vessels on the River Trent,” he said. At present there is no regular traffic on the non-tidal section from Newark to Nottingham. Most of the tidal traffic involves moving aggregatesfrom Bestthorpe Pit, nearNewark to Humberside and West Yorkshire.In2007 this amounted to some 200,000 tonnes. The potential for more extensive use of the River is recognised in the East Midlands Development Agency’s Regional Economic Strategy and the East Midlands Regional Assembly cboa news | march 08 page 2 cboa news | march 08 page 3 From the chairman waterside firms who could transfer Stobarts to use MSC? Tesco takes to the water goods from congested roads to an Until now Tesco’s New World wine international logistics company Stobart Group, the logistics Tesco has become the first major UK this to 3,500 loads a week during shipments have arrived in the seeking CBOA’s advice on moving providers, are to return the Port of retailer to transport freight regularly 2008.” UK at various southern ports by more than 100,000 tonnes a year Weston to a fully functioning bulk by canal.They are ferrying wine in Meanwhile Sainsbury is also ship before being driven to the from West Yorkshire to the Thames shipping and coastal feeder port. containers by barge from Liverpool considering moving some of its Manchester bottling depot.Each by water: these show we are getting And a spokesman told CBOA News: to Manchester via the Manchester goods around London by barge. 20ft container takes one truck off our message across. Not to mention “We’ll be looking at a whole range Ship Canal.And the venture has Speaking on the Today programme the road. the Olympic Lock! of services options because the port proved so successful that a Alison Austen, Sainsbury’s head spokesman told CBOA News they The scheme has won the support CBOA is playing a significant role obviously lends itself to using the of Environment, said they had are currently looking to move more of Sea and Water, the independent in this. We are part of the steering Manchester Ship Canal.” carried out a successful trial taking goods by barge. pressure group lobbying to groups for the Birmingham and The Department of Transport made a products from a depot in Charlton to maximise the use of Britain’s Trent studies. We meet senior DfT Harbour Revision Order for the port He said Irlam Wharf (on the outskirts Wandsworth. waterways for freight transport. and BW officials. The Highways that will come into effect at the end of Manchester) is ideally situated “We think that we could take this “Play to your strengths and Agency consults us.We have close of February. The order also appoints to store and move goods to Tesco’s The initiative resulted from a out to over a dozen stores in Central emphasise the positive” is good connections with many other Westlink Holdings Ltd, a wholly Middlewich depot. partnership between Tesco, Salford- London from the Wandsworth wharf business practice and one we in water freight groups, including owned subsidiary of the group, as Although the launch was delayed based importers and bottlers and that means that we could CBOA must remember. So what the industry-led water freight the statutory port authority for the by 4 weeks – bad weather held Kingsland Wines and Spirits and the probably save 360,000 km (of road are our strengths and how do we promotional group Sea and Water. Port of Weston. up the arrival of the barges from co-operation of Peel Ports who own transport) every year,” she said. capitalise on them? both the Manchester Ship Canal and Now we must ensure planning Following last year’s merger with Amsterdam and they had to shelter Interviewer James Naughtie then the Port of Liverpool. We know that water freight is the initiatives are followed up. It the Westbury Property Fund Ltd the at the Isle of Wight - in the 10 weeks went on to ask Simon Salem, best ‘green’ transport mode, with is striking that Yorkshire and group – famous for their fleet of between launch and Christmas, Kingsland supply chain director Marketing director of British capacity to spare.And recent signs Humberside where the opportunities Eddie Stobart long distance lorries Tesco delivered 30 containers a Michael Forde said a corner of their Waterways, about this “nice little that many others share these views should be at their greatest does not - became operators of one of the week.That is equivalent to 9.5 production site is only 50 yards from bit of PR for the waterways”.In are encouraging. feature in the list above. Will the UK’s largest road haulage fleets and million 75cl bottles of wine.The the Manchester Ship Canal “and we reply Mr Salem said the Sainsbury’s From Tesco’s use of the Manchester Government’s forthcoming White a specialist rail freight services. The move to transport wine by water wanted to explore the idea of using idea ticked the three main boxes of Ship Canal to Transport for London Paper on Sustainable Transport give revivedport will enable them to bring took 30 heavy lorry journeys a week this great historic waterway.” getting freight onto the waterways: off Britain’s congested roads, cutting wanting to safeguard wharves on that extra needed push? goods from the south by coastal Tesco Transport Director Alex Laffey -regular traffic London’s canals; from Birmingham ship to customers in the north. carbon emissions by 80%. John Dodwell, Chairman CBOA told CBOA News: “The movement -a wide waterway Council’s consultants identifying 80 They already operate a train service On arrival at Manchester the from road to the ship canal has been with Tesco from Grangemouth to containers of wine from Australia, a seamless process, maintaining the -their willingness to go along with Ombudsman to the rescue Daventry, aided by DfT grants. California, Chile and Argentina excellent service we deliver into the partners like the Port of London Authority to get the investment to When a barge operator on the River when required, BW was initially “As people are getting more are then transported to a bottling Irlam bottling plant. pay extra costs. Severn feared not being able to start unwilling to commit to dredging concerned about the environment site less than half a mile away. “The ship canal has enabled Tesco a contract because the River was for a suitable level for commercial they want to reduce road miles,” the There they are packed for Tesco to remove circa 2,500 loads off the not being maintained to a sufficient traffic because of cost, despite spokesman said.“So by getting off supermarkets across the country. road per year and we aim to grow depth he turned to the Waterways its statutory obligation to do so. the roads and onto rail and possibly Ombudsman.In a judgement worthy They appeared to state they would other forms of transport we’ll be of Solomon the Ombudsman approach the Waterways Minister for helping our customers by reducing succeeded in satisfying both British an Parliamentary Order to remove carbon emissions.” Waterways – and ensuring the their obligation. operator could win his contract. However when pressed by the “I saw no benefit in pressing British Ombudsman to give the operator Waterways to dredge the river until the commitment he needed, he was ready to use it regularly BW reviewed their position “at (especially as I understood that it the highest level” and told the could silt up again quite quickly),” Ombudsman they would dredge the Ombudsman said.However, when the barge operator was ready when the Ombudsman asked BW to to start regular traffic.