KEY DEALS

Bountiful Year for Milford Haven

24 years ago

Milford Haven Port Authority has reported a strong performance in shipping activity for the year 2002, with the number of ships using the Welsh deepwater port up 3% to 3,445 while gross tonnage grew by 4.4% to 48,360,000. Recent innovations and investments at the port include the routine active escorting of all vessels over 50,000dwt and the installation of a new £ 700,000 vessel tracking system which integrates radar, communications and information handling in support of the Authoritys Port Control Centre.

British ports and their customers argue that they are put at a competitive disadvantage by the higher cost of UK port calls due to light dues, which can be as much as £12,000 for a 6,000teu boxship. A new study by the Independent Light Dues Forum, consisting of 21 shipping companies, shows that the cost of calling at UK ports is higher than ports in mainland Europe, although the proportion of cargo discharged in the UK is generally lower.

MJ Information No: 18011