RoRo Ferry and Rail Terminals, Bulk Cargoes and Cars Can Mean Tripling Job Totals
UK – Forth Ports has received development consent from the Secretary of State for Transport to build Tilbury2, the new multimillion pound port terminal adjacent to the Port of Tilbury's current 930 acre site in Thurrock, on the outskirts of Greater London. The development, to include the new RoRo terminal which we wrote aboutsome twelve months ago, first lodged the planning application with the Planning Inspectorate in October 2017.
Now construction is scheduled to commence in a matter of weeks and the privately funded port, Tilbury2, will be built on a site covering in excess of 150 acres, which was part of the location of the former Tilbury Power Station. When operational in Spring 2020, Forth Ports says that Tilbury2 will be the UK’s largest unaccompanied ferry port and the country’s biggest construction processing hub, with AEO-trusted trader status.
Expansion is essential for the Port of Tilbury to cope with rising demand for construction materials and aggregates from Britain’s construction sector, imported and exported cars, as well as an increase in commercial ferry traffic, which carries consumer goods, perishables (food and drink) and steel between Europe and the UK. This means that with the deep water container port London Gateway just 5 miles downstream the River Thames will start to reassert its influence as a major maritime presence.
Construction of the port, which will include a new rail and road connection, deep water jetty and pontoon, will bring the project cost to in excess of £200 million. The tender process for a contractor to complete this build has been completed and an announcement will be made shortly. Tilbury2 will comprise:
- A roll on/roll off ferry terminal for importing and exporting containers and trailers to northern Europe, in partnership with P&O Ferries
- A facility for importing, processing, manufacturing and distributing construction materials
- A strategic rail terminal which can accommodate the longest freight trains of 775 metres
- Storage areas for a variety of goods, including exported and imported cars.
Tilbury2 is central to the Port of Tilbury’s £1 billion investment programme during 2012-20. Tilbury has doubled the size of its business in the past 10 years and is projected to double the volume of cargo across the quay, from 16 million to 32 million tonnes, and increase direct employment from 3,500 to 12,000 jobs, over the next 10-15 years. Charles Hammond, Chief Executive of Forth Ports Group, owner of the Port of Tilbury, said:
“This is great news for the UK at a time when the country needs its ports more than ever before. Tilbury2 will deliver much needed port capacity to support businesses importing and exporting to and from Europe and the rest of the world. The terminal will be fit-for-purpose for the UK’s departure from the European Union, utilising the latest technology and streamlined border processes, in support of continued market demand created by business growth. By 2020, £1 billion will have been invested in Tilbury’s expansion plans, including Tilbury2 and the 55-acre London Development Park, with the full backing of our shareholders.”
Comments
Post a Comment