Merseysides maritime sector has warned that the UK Governments move to revamp the business rating system for ports means that businesses worth up to £400m are under threat of becoming insolvent, with the potential loss of 3,000 direct jobs and thousands more in hired labour. Merseyside is just one of 55 UK ports affected by the radical change in legislation and nationally, business leaders are predicting the potential loss of businesses worth up to £20bn and job losses of over 150,000.