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Issue Date:- 25 February 2008

Future of European logistics lies in new ‘sea motorways

THE future of European logistics lies in the promotion of sea transport and the creation of new ‘sea motorways’, according to research published by global property adviser DTZ.  The impact of the European Commission’s extended Motorways of the Sea initiative will also mean that emerging ports will play an increasingly important role in a European logistics environment that is set to undergo significant change as sea freight is promoted as a more sustainable alternative to road transport.

The Motorways of the Sea initiative promotes a shift in traffic to the sea, which the European Commission has identified as an underused resource, from Europe’s congested road and rail networks. In order to achieve this, it is intended that Motorways of the Sea will become an integral part of the door-to-door logistics chain within Europe and offer efficient, regular and reliable services that can compete with road and rail.

Studies funded by the EU suggest that many seaborne alternative routes could provide both time and cost competitive alternatives to land transport.

Brian Birtwistle, Industrial Director at DTZ, comments:- “The future of Europe lies in its seas. The European Commission predicts an increase of 50% in freight transport by 2020. Growing trade in Europe is a critical catalyst to growth in the logistics market, with businesses increasingly operating on a pan-European and global scale. Europe’s road and rail networks are already heavily congested so there is a clear need to find alternatives to these modes of transport. As 2/3rds of Europe’s land boundaries face the sea, sea transport is an area that has the potential for massive development.”

The Motorways of the Sea initiative has been extended to include the creation of new sea routes to cover the Baltic, Barents, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas as well as through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea.

The proposal to increase the amount of freight carried by sea means that ports will inevitably have an increasingly important role to play in European logistics. The Motorways of the Sea initiative will require ports connected at either end of a sea motorwayto have efficient hinterland connections with well-developed local logistics markets, rapid administrative procedures and a high level of service, all of which are targeted to making Motorways of the Sea operations successful.

Brian Birtwistle comments:- “Increased sea freight equals busier ports. Ports will play a vital role in ensuring the success of the Motorways of the Sea initiative. Major ports such as Rotterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp, are themselves becoming increasingly congested, due to the high volume of goods shipped. The Motorways of the Sea initiative aims to respond to the development of these ‘superports’ and reduce congestion by promoting nearby smaller, less well-developed ports to take a share of the growing market.”

Countries new to EU membership in particular have the potential to benefit from this policy by adopting greater sea transport. Currently, 40% of freight in new member countries is carried by rail, whilst road infrastructure is below the average of the EU. Brian Birtwistle adds:- “There is a real need to develop port facilities across Europe and there are significant opportunities for the logistics sector in locating warehouses and distribution centres near these emerging ports.

Major operators could potentially benefit from locating near ports such as Rostovk, Lubeck or Sassnitz in Germany; Tallin in Estonia or Gdansk, Gdynia or Sczezin in Poland. However, the supporting infrastructure close to emerging port locations in some new member states does require significant improvement.”

Although the initiative has an ambitious goal, there are issues that need to be resolved to make them effective, especially for the logistics sector. Brian Birtwistle says:- “For the transport and logistics industry, there is concern about the costs involved in moving freight away from established ports and how all links in the logistics chain can be brought together.

Short sea shipping requires efficient and integrated commercial services to be successful. All elements of the logistics chain need to be considered to ensure inter-modal transport by sea is as reliable, flexible and easy to use as road transport.”

Despite these concerns, however, it is clear that the Motorways of the Sea initiative will transform the European logistics market and bring new opportunities to the sector. Brian Birtwistle concludes:- “An estimated 50% increase in European modes of transport by the year 2020 makes sustainable and competitive mobility essential yet challenging. One of the most important initiatives helping to reach these goals is the Motorways of the Sea project.”

John Adlen, Development Director at DTZ says:- “This research reinforces and supports Liverpool’s ambition to become a superport. As the major gateway to the North of England and Midlands, Liverpool will be vital in delivering the UK’s element of the Motorways of the Sea initiative.

Peel are already well ahead of the game by joining up Liverpool with Port Salford via the Manchester Ship Canal and creating a single cohesive waterway that will take traffic away from the North West’s congested roads.

This shift to sea transport could signal a renaissance of the Mersey as one of Europe’s major seaports”. 

Thousands of jobs up for grabs in Liverpool ONE

A new shop offering up to 5,000 jobs opens for business this week in the heart of Liverpool’s new shopping area.  Local people looking for work in the retail, leisure and tourism sectors can now find work in a dedicated outlet serving Liverpool’s booming city centre.

Grosvenor’s Liverpool ONE development and the Echo Arena and Convention Centre, as well as other key developments, are set to create thousands of jobs during the next 12 months. 

The new service, based in the developer’s offices on Lord Street, will ensure as many local people as possible have the chance of applying for and gaining these jobs and brings together the employment and training services of the city council, Jobcentre Plus and Connexions.  And people, from Tuesday (February 19), will be able to register with the service to be contacted each time a job is created over the next few months.

Councillor Warren Bradley, Council leader and Liverpool’s business champion, who is helping to launch the initiative said:- “Literally thousands of jobs are being created in the city centre and it is our duty to ensure that local people are in the best position to take advantage of them.  The real regeneration of Liverpool will be seen in the opportunities it offers to the people who live and work here.”  And he added:- “This partnership of public and private sectors is key to Liverpool’s increased prosperity and will reap rewards for both local people and businesses that are investing in our city – either by setting up new ventures, or continuing to employ staff here.”

Shop for Jobs was launched to businesses last May, but thanks to Grosvenor and Liverpool ONE there are now city centre offices from which to offer a range of guidance and job services.

Rod Holmes, Grosvenor’s Liverpool One project director, said:- “Liverpool ONE is at the forefront of physical regeneration in the city centre and we are keen to see local people benefit from the investment that Grosvenor and our partners are making in the city, not least in terms of job opportunities.  We are delighted to be supporting Shop for Jobs at Liverpool ONE for this fantastic service.”

Shop for Jobs has worked with a variety of employers and training providers to develop and deliver relevant training programmes and short courses, with nearly 300 people to date receiving job specific training.  The team has supported the likes of Primark, Debenhams, the Liverpool One management company, the Liverpool Echo Arena, and Hard Days Night Hotel to fill more than 2000 vacancies.

Targeting Liverpool residents, the Shop for Jobs team have more than a 1000 people registered on their database, with direct access to more than 30,000 other applicants via the city council’s JET service, Connexions and Jobcentre Plus.  These individuals are then matched to training or employment opportunities, and many receive one-to-one guidance interviews.

The launch of Shop for Jobs will also be attended by employers that have received support through the initiative, as well as local people who have been helped into training and work.

Senzillo Martins, one of the successful job seekers who will be working in the food services department at the new Debenhams store, endorsed the Shop for Jobs team’s work:- “The Shop for Jobs team was very helpful and the information which I received during my training was very useful, especially for our interview preparation.  The team’s guidance helped me to have the confidence to carry out my interview with Debenhams and I am so delighted to have been offered a permanent job.”

Rosie Cooper, MP visits Spinal Unit at Southport

ROSIE Cooper, MP for West Lancashire made a private visit to the North West Regional Spinal Injuries Centre to see the facilities, meet some of the patients and learn about the incredible work being carried out at the work of the centre.

As a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ben Bradshaw MP, Minister of State at the Department for Health, Rosie is keen to see the various health facilities available to the residents of West Lancashire and the North West. She was shown round the unit by the Clinical Director, Dr Clive Glass and the Director of Operations Janette Brookes.

Rosie met a number of patients within the various parts of the unit, from the centre's intensive care unit, the high dependency unit and the general wards. One patient she met was Dr Iain Kewley who was a GP at Railway Road Surgery in Ormskirk between 1990 and 2003. Iain is now a GP in Douglas, Isle of Man but was unfortunately involved in a road traffic accident last November and has been at the spinal injuries centre since then. His mother is well known and respected Ormskirk resident Jean Kewley.

Later Rosie met some of the patients in the later stages of rehabilitation as they enjoyed a game of 'wheelchair rugby' in the gym.

Rosie said:- "I was delighted to visit the Spinal Injuries Centre and meet such a dedicated team, led by Dr Clive Glass, for whom the patient was at the centre of all the services they provide. The unit boasts wonderful facilities, all of which are much appreciated by the patients at the centre - for whom a big problem appears to be getting the right accommodation that meets their needs and enables them to live near their families when they are ready to leave the care of the unit".

SOUTHPORT MEP WARNS EU NOT TO TURN AWAY FROM THE SUN

THE potential for Southport homes to be powered by green electricity generated by the desert sun is being ignored by the European Commission, claims a local MEP.

Concentrated solar power (CSP) uses mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays and heat a gas or liquid that can power conventional steam turbines.  Scientists estimate that covering just 0.5% of the planets hot deserts with the mirrors CSP would provide the world's entire electricity needs.

Campaigners for 'Clean Power from Deserts' say that Europe should link CSP into a new electricity grid to allow the transport of electricity across North Africa and Europe from a variety of renewable sources.  They claim that by doing this the region could provide all its electricity needs by 2050 with barely any fossil fuels, allowing a 70% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

But in response to a parliamentary question tabled by Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies, EU energy chief Andris Pielbalgs says that the European Commission has not investigated the use of CSP as an option in its strategy to reduce CO2 emissions.

It's a missed opportunity, says Chris Davies:- "The potential is vast. We may have some way to go before it can be realised but I think it high time that we started to take some serious steps forward."

Europe's first commercial power station to use the sun's energy opened recently in Spain and should one day provide the electricity for the 600,000 people of Seville. 

CSP is not new and there has been a plant in the Mojave Desert in California for 15 years.

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