He wants shipowners to switch to London’s new US$2.4 billion port and logistics hub, which Dubai-based ports giant DP World will open in the fourth quarter of 2013 with a first-phase annual capacity of 1.6 million teu.
Armed with a fresh video designed for a Hong Kong and China audience — with Mandarin and Cantonese versions — Moore (pictured) is this week presenting to shippers in Hong Kong his cost-saving arguments for the facility: based on its closer proximity than rival ports to destinations in the south of the UK, and its ability to accommodate ultra-large container vessels.
Moore said that independent research commissioned from Drewry Maritime Advisors showed that cargo offloaded at London Gateway offered average transport savings of $306 per container to destinations in London and southern England and $94 per container to destinations in the Midlands and the north.
“The key challenge,” Moore said, “is showing prospective customers that we’re delivering the primary infrastructure, and doing it on time.”
He spent the earlier part of the week inspecting the mmense loading cranes built in China for London Gateway that are being prepared for shipment to the UK.
The deepwater port’s position on the north side of the Thames estuary aims to bolster the UK’s capacity to receive ships of 13,000teu and over.
Carriers “can’t get the biggest ships any closer” to the UK’s main markets in London, Moore told his audience.
He characterised the current Asian trip as a “sweet spot” for convincing cargo owners to make the case to shipping lines to switch to London Gateway. The timing makes it a possibility for cargo owners to include the port in their yearly budget plans for the first time.
As for shipowners and operators, “those with vessels in excess of 13,000teu are looking a lot more closely”, Moore said.
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