Shuttle barge greens molasses movements

The push tug and barge discharged an initial 50 containers of organic molasses shipped into Liverpool’s Royal Seaforth Container Terminal by Mediterranean Shipping Company from Paraguay, before sailing on up the Canal with boxes of Tesco wines bound for Manchester.The molasses is being shipped into the UK by the Organic Division of Uren Food Group Limited, for distribution as livestock feed to organically certified farms.

James Uren, who founded the organic division of the family business 13 years ago said, ‘The waterborne onward movement of the containers from the Port of Liverpool to Ellesmere Port fits well with the ethos of our organic activities and provides the most economic and environment friendly method of inland transportation.’

The dawn discharge of the containers at Ellesmere Port was undertaken by Quality Freight (UK) Limited using their new £1m Liebherr 150 mobile harbour crane. An hour later, the barge sailed for its next delivery stop at Irlam Container Terminal on the Ship Canal.

Sebastian Gardiner, managing director of Quality Freight (UK) Ltd said, ‘It was a textbook discharge operation which we now expect to repeat on a regular basis for containers carrying not just molasses but other cargoes bound for the North of England. Quality Freight is working with Peel Ports to grow the volume of freight moved by barge and reduce the road miles and carbon footprint of the logistics industry.’

The liquid molasses is moved from Ellesmere Port to the Shropshire processing plant of Prime Molasses Limited for distribution to farms and animal feed manufacturers across the country.

Frank Robotham of Peel Ports Group, which owns the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal said, ‘Adding a regular call at Ellesmere Port to the shuttle’s sailing schedule increases the flexibility of the service to shippers seeking a cost effective and environmentally sensitive means of moving their cargoes in and out of the North West of England.’