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Two new container lines add to rising volumes

For Immediate Release - 10 April, 2006

The Port of Liverpool has welcomed the first ships of two new deepsea container services launched by four of the world's largest container shipping operators.

The weekly services by Mediterranean Shipping Company and Maersk Line to Canada and by CMA CGM and China Shipping Container Lines to the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, consolidate Liverpool's position as the major UK port for container trade with North America.

The new North Atlantic links also promise to further enhance Liverpool's container volumes which rose by 10,000 teus in 2005 to a record 626,000 teus and contributed to the growth of more than 1.5 million tonnes in the Port's total cargo volume to 33,785,000 tonnes compared with 32,171,000 tonnes in 2004.

Frank Robotham, Marketing Director for the Peel Ports Group, incorporating the Port of Liverpool and its parent Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, said: "Decisions by these four global leaders to make Liverpool the UK call on their new North American container services is further recognition of the port's potential for cargo growth. We look forward to seeing these services flourish in the same way as our longer established customers."

SC and Maersk launched their weekly sailing from the Seaforth Container Terminal to Montreal's Termont Terminal with the MSC Brianna. They were followed by CMA CGM and China Shipping with the CMA CGM Jefferson calling Liverpool as the last European port before crossing the Atlantic for New York, Baltimore, Norfolk and Charleston.

Said Mr Robotham: "We anticipate that much of the traffic moved by MSC and Maersk out of Liverpool will be destined not just for Canada but to cross the border into the Mid-West of the United States, and the CMA CGM - China Shipping service provides shippers in both the UK and Ireland with a significant new link into the South Eastern Seaboard of the USA, a market previously only served by shipping lines operating out of UK south coast ports.

"We are confident that both these services will reap the benefit of calling at the port which is on the doorstep of Britain's second largest container cargo generating region."

oth MSC and CMA CGM contributed to Liverpool's record container volume in 2005 through weekly deepsea feeder services linking into their global container networks from North European hub ports.

Other sectors in Liverpool's diverse range of cargoes to expand in 2005 included both dry bulks and bulk liquids and roll-on roll-off cargo on Irish Sea ferry services. The major British gateway for trade with Ireland, Liverpool handles more than 40% of all freight crossing the Irish Sea and saw ro-ro volumes rise last year by 23,000 units to 536,000 units.

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