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Save Liverpool's
Coastguard
MMRC Liverpool is set to
close by 2014/15, but recent incidents are again making the public
voice their concerns. The renewed appeal for help to save the
station comes after Liverpool Coastguard responded to a staggering
56 incidents in just less than 48 hours over Saturday, 26 May and
Sunday, 27 May 2012. If the planned closure takes place, the base
for the UK Maritime Operations Centre for many of these areas will
be on the Southampton and Portsmouth coastline and many are asking
if this government reorganisation of the service is safe? At
present, Liverpool Coastguard is responsible for Search and Rescue
for the offshore, inshore and shoreline areas of the Irish Sea from
the river Dee in North Wales, to the Mull of Galloway in South West
Scotland. This massive area also includes the waters around the Isle
of Man and the 4 main lakes of the Lake District. The UK Government
has decided that a number of major UK coastguard stations should be
closed arguing that fewer stations can cope with the workload. It is
a vast area and as many know from trying to get an AA or RAC truck
to your car, call centres at the other end of the country just can't
obtain the local knowledge, that local centres have, from maps
alone. Ok, modern technology is helping, all well and good, but only
if those in distress have that technology! A spokesman for Liverpool
Coastguard told the media that:- "Without these local
professionals there will be coastguards, who may have never been to
the North West, trying to provide the same service from Fareham on
the south coast."
This move has also not just been flagged by HMRC staff but many
sectors of shipping industry and other users of the coastline from
local dive clubs, yacht clubs, even the volunteer Lifeboat services,
and other emergency services who work with the HMRC have questioned
the closures and have flagged their concerns. Many have even stated
publicly that they see the idea to centralise and save money as
totally and utterly, recklessly dangerous. Often stating in plain
words that this move is short sighted and will ultimately endanger
life. A spokesman from MCA has again told the press:- "As the
shipping minister made clear in November 2011, after many years of
uncertainty the plans to create a resilient and fully networked
national rescue co-ordination service were confirmed. This provides
a clear plan for the future of Her Majesty's Coastguard."
And yet already they have had to alter plans, keeping the Shetland
and Stornoway operational. A change to original plans which would
have seen one shut, but still closing are Brixham, Clyde, Forth,
Great Yarmouth, Liverpool, Portland, Swansea, and Thames.
If you are concerned about the proposed closure you only have a very
short time to again voice your concerns by using the Government's
e-petitions. But you only
have until Tuesday, 7 August 2012 to sign it or your voice will be
lost!
For more information, please also visit:-
saveliverpoolcoastguard.org
also if you are for the UK's Coalition Government's proposed the
closure plan, please let us know your views by emailing us to:-
news24@southportreporter.com. Archived reports on
Southport Reporter:-
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
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Expansion pays
off for Liverpool Port Firm
LIVERPOOL Bulk Liquids (LBL)
who are based at the Port of Liverpool handle their 3rd ship in 6
weeks following expansion of their West Langton Terminal. LBL
embarked on a seriously challenging enterprise in 2009 to move a
complete oil terminal, lock stock and barrel across the River
Mersey, a process that has taken 3 years in its planning and
execution.
As explained by Managing Director, Paul Maxwell, this was not for
the faint hearted. He told us that:- "The sheer logistical
challenge of moving very large tanks 50 feet in diameter by 30 feet
high would have been enough for 1 of the major storage operators,
but for us with just myself and our small team it was exceptionally
difficult. Fortunately I have extensive experience in the movement
of out of gauge cargo going back to my shipbroker days so in the end
the project completed on time and on budget, moving 35 tanks in 6
barge trips, with the final load arriving in January 2012."
The business plan that underpinned the venture stems from the
shortage of bulk liquid storage space in the Mersey, as Mr. Maxwell
explained that:- "We had as a Port lost various facilities
over the years that did not get replaced and the time had come to
invest in infrastructure again. The three recent vessels have
contributed £150,000 in income that simply would not have come to
the Port if we hadn’t done this. We have thus demonstrated that
investment in Port Infrastructure can pay off handsomely and this is
why we are behind Peel Ports 100% in their forthcoming plans to
invest on a much larger scale in the Port. In fact we would
recommend companies to follow our lead in all of the different cargo
handling sectors. Infrastructure creates opportunities for us and
our customers alike with our investment bringing money into the
local economy that wasn’t there before and this money equals jobs
and prosperity."
The terminal at Liverpool is located at West Langton Dock and has
increased fourfold in size from 6,000 tonnes capacity in 2010 to
25,000 tonnes capacity now. The company believes they have a market
advantage due to 2 main reasons. Mr. Maxwell said that:- "We
did not have to over extend our financing to do this. Refurbishing
tanks is far cheaper than new building, in fact the quality of the
workmanship of the older tanks is quite stunning, we reckon we have
completed the project for 40% of the cost of new build. We have also
designed the terminal to function better than most, which will help
with things like loading times for road tankers and environmental
impact."
LBL have invested approximately £1.5 million on their terminal in
the last three years and plan to handle as diverse a range of bulk
liquids as possible. With 43 tanks of varying sizes, including
heated & insulated tanks all linked to deep water tanker facilities,
business prospects look extremely good indeed.
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