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Ports and Shipping

Portsmouth Commercial Docks

The Portsmouth commercial docks are located in Portsmouth harbour on the western side of Portsea Island. The A3(M), M27 and M275 give good access to the docks. The continental ferry terminal has particularly good road access being located immediately off the M275. There are fast, direct rail connections from Portsmouth to many British locations including London.

The Portsmouth commercial docks are located in Portsmouth harbour on the western side of Portsea Island. The A3(M), M27 and M275 give good access to the docks. The continental ferry terminal has particularly good road access being located immediately off the M275. There are fast, direct rail connections from Portsmouth to many British locations including London.

The first docks were built at Portsmouth in 1212 and these were added to during the 15th century with fortifications constructed to protect the harbour. In 1496 the world’s first dry dock was built at Portsmouth. In 1839 the present Municipal Port was created. Improvements were made on the Camber until Flathouse Quay was added in 1868. There has been considerable development of the docks during the 20th Century. The Albert Johnson Quay was built in 1968 and the continental Ferry Port was originally constructed in 1976 although it has been expanded and developed since that time.

Portsmouth City Council owns the Commercial Docks. The docks are run by managers who are employed by the City Council and the Commercial Docks Board which consists of seven of the City’s councillors.

There is government pressure for councils throughout the UK to relinquish the harbours under their direct control. However, for the moment, Portsmouth City Council prefers not to privatise the docks so that any profits generated by the docks are returned to the City. The port’s profitability continues to prove that, irrespective of ownership, Portsmouth Commercial Docks is a tightly run and highly efficient organisation.

During the last 20 years the commercial port has successfully transformed itself from a small harbour reliant on general cargo and fish into one of the UK’s top ferry ports. Even more recently, Portsmouth has become a leading port for temperature-controlled fresh produce imports with new warehouse facilities being constructed in 1993 at Albert Johnson Quay. This has been achieved through a prudent investment programme carried out since the mid-seventies by Portsmouth City Council. The harbour infrastructure has been improved to keep pace with the changing needs of the resident companies and port users. £54 million has been spent on improved ferry facilities, new cargo terminals, regular maintenance and general upgrading work. Portsmouth is one of the most modern and best equipped ports in the UK.

Portsmouth is one of the south coast’s fastest growing ports. Its good road access and proximity to the main shipping channels make it an ideal freight gateway for time-sensitive cargoes. The opening of the Channel Tunnel has brought a further intensification of competition in the cross-Channel ferry market. However as Portsmouth and its sister destination ports are located well to the west of the Tunnel, it is thought that they will feel little direct impact. The port expects to retain the loyalty of its traditional clientele - holiday traffic and freight vehicles - because it will remain the most convenient departure point for Western France, Spain and Portugal.

Portsmouth has an ambitious expansion programme, but spending restrictions placed on the City Council by central government will slow its growth. The next development stage, Phase VII, is under discussion. It involves the extension of the Continental Ferry Port to provide more parking space for trucks and trailers. The proposed project comprises reclaiming 3. 2 hectares of foreshore and sea-bed adjacent to the east bank of Rotten Row Lake northwards from the existing Ferry Port to Whale Island Bridge. It will also involve extending the access channel to Whale Island Bridge and dredging it to one metre below Chart Datum. A tentative completion date for these works has been set between 1996 and 1997.

Further improvements are also proposed to Albert Johnson Quay, to lengthen it to join with Flathouse Quay, involving the infill of two disused slipways at the end of Prospect Road. The scheme will provide one unified site for the Port’s growing fresh produce business. From its historical association with the Channel Islands vegetable market, the port has been able to use its expertise and facilities to develop new business from around the world. It has now established itself as one of the UK’s premier fruit and vegetable ports.

Portsmouth is also a broadly based fishing port with both white fish and shellfish landed, most of which is destined for markets on the continent. The fishing port is located at The Camber.

Port of Southampton

A Brief Description of the Port and Wharf

The Port of Southampton is situated on one of the world’s finest natural harbours, with a maximum tidal flow of only 2 knots and a maximum tidal range of 4.5 metres. By virtue of its unique "double tide", Southampton’s harbour enjoys 17 hours of rising water in every 24 hours.

Seaward access is gained either via the Nab, to the East of the Isle of Wight or via the Needles to the West. The deep water channel from Fawley to the Container Terminal is maintained to a depth of 10.2m below CD. (It is planned to deepen this to 12.6m within the next two years.)

The current operational port estate, owned and operated by ABP, covers an area of 680 acres, and is divided into two sections: the Eastern and Western docks.

The Eastern docks, at the confluence of the Rivers Test and Itchen was the first area to be developed, the foundation stone for the modern docks being laid in 1837.

Unusually, the port developed upstream, the Western docks being reclaimed from the sea and developed in the 1920s. The most recent phase of development, at the far Western end of the port estate, is the Container Terminal, built in the 1960s.

Other wharves, notably those along the banks of the Itchen, fall within ABP’s jurisdiction as harbour authority but are not included in the responses to this questionnaire. They are owned and operated by a variety of different companies.

Facilities available within ABP’s port estate include:

Ro-Ro

Southampton is one of the UK’s leading ro-ro ports with extensive facilities for both deep-sea and short-sea traffic, coupled with high-quality storage and distribution compounds and vehicle-enhancement facilities. In 1994, 338,000 trade vehicles were handled, in addition to a wide range of heavy ro-ro units.

Substantial surfacing works are currently being undertaken at Redbridge Wharf to provide additional car storage area.

Ferries

Stena Sealink operates a daily ferry service between Southampton and Cherbourg utilising ABP’s modern ferry terminal at Berths 30/33 which includes high-quality driver and passenger waiting lounges and extensive freight/passenger vehicle assembly areas. Southampton is also home to Red Funnel Ferries which operates high-speed and passenger/freight service between Town Quay and Cowes.

Cruise

As home port for Cunard’s flagship, Queen Elizabeth 2, and P&O’s Oriana and Canberra, Southampton is the UK’s premier cruise port. In 1995, some 110 cruise liner calls were made at the port, and in 1996 the return of P&O’s Victoria will underline Southampton’s dominance in the UK cruise market. The recent extensive refurbishment of the port’s two first-class passenger terminals at Berths 38/39 and Berth 106 is evidence of Southampton’s commitment to the cruise trade.

Fruit

Southampton has steadily increased its fruit-handling business over the past few years and was in 1995 the UK’s leading fruit-handling port.

The temperature and humidity-controlled Fruit Terminal at the deepwater Berth 104, Western Docks, now handles the entire Canary Islands to UK fruit trade during a season which runs from October to May. In 1995, a 3,500m² cold store was added to the existing 11,000m² warehouse. The cold store has a temperature range of -2°C to +15°C, increasing the range of fresh produce that can be stored at the terminal.

Also in the Western Docks is the Windward Terminal, a purpose-built fruit and general cargo-handling complex, which came into operation in March 1993 and is used by Geest PLC for its entire UK banana shipping operations. The terminal occupies a 9 acre site alongside deep water at Berth 101 and includes 5,600m² of temperature-controlled storage, 2,000m² of covered general cargo storage, a dedicated lorry park, and a separate container-handling area.

Bulk

Southampton is also one of the UK’s leading ports for the movement of grain and agricultural products, handling in excess of one million tonnes per annum. Four separate terminals provide for the export, import, storage and, in the case of the Rank Hovis flour mill, processing of grain and other agricultural products. The port’s two export grain facilities are located at deepwater berths in the Eastern Docks. Soufflet Grain Terminal Ltd has a silo complex with approximately 30,000 tonnes capacity at Berth 36, and at Berth 47 Continental (UK) Ltd operates a 16-silo facility. Continental also operates an import terminal at 107 Berth in the Western Docks. This facility was substantially expanded in 1995 with the opening of the 10,000m² Mulberry Terminal, half of which is utilised by Continental (UK) Ltd for the importation of animal feed and the other half principally by Topline Fertiliser, a subsidiary of Usborne plc.

Other bulk traffics include imports of cement, wines and spirits. The port also has specialised berths for handling shipments of submarine cable.

Containers

Southampton Container Terminals Limited operates the Prince Charles Container Terminal (berths 204-206). The terminal occupies a 150 acre site with 8,000 teu ground slots, including 250 for refrigerated units. A fourth berth, 207, is currently under construction.

Exclusive container trains, operating from the two Railfreight Terminals immediately adjacent to the Port, run to major distribution centres throughout the UK.

A customs-bonded container depot operated by Southampton Free Trade Zone offers covered storage for cargo inspection, consolidation and unloading of unitised traffic.

Storage and Warehousing Facilities

Spacious transit shed accommodation, including temperature-controlled, and extensive open storage areas for containers, vehicles and project cargoes highlight Southampton’s size and flexibility. Container groupage and other specialised warehousing facilities are also available.

The Southampton Free Trade Zone, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABP, offers "free zone" facilities in the Western Docks.

Cranage and Mechanical Handling

Modern cargo-handling facilities at Southampton include a wide range of cranes and ancillary equipment necessary for the diverse operations at the port, including:

• 9 container cranes of up to 60 tonnes’ capacity
• 25 quayside cranes of up to 35 tonnes’ capacity
• a floating crane of 200 tonnes’ capacity

Marine and Repair Facilities

A wide range of services including pilotage, towage, mooring and ship repair are available.

Dry Dock Facilities

No. 7 King George V Dock
Length overall: 365.0m
Length at floor level: 348.0m
Width at entrance: 40.4m
Berthing Information
See table 3.

Countries of Origin/Destination

Main Cargo Liner Services are as follows:

Containers: 42 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa (including over 20 countries in Asia)

Ro-Ro: Australia, Benin, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nigeria, Reunion, South Africa, Spain

Fruit: Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, St Kits/St Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago

Other Useful Statistics

The Port of Southampton currently handles:

• 7% of all UK seaborne trade
• 44% of the UK’s trade with the Far East
• 4 times the cargo handled in the 1950’s.

Number of Jobs Directly or Indirectly Generated by the Port

A recent report produced by consultants Pieda and MDO Transmodal as a background paper to the Hampshire County Structure Plan concluded that around 10,000 permanent jobs and between 1,000 and 1,700 temporary jobs are directly dependent on Port activities in Southampton Water. Of these, around 500 jobs are directly dependent on or closely associated with the main ABP port facility. (ABP directly employs only 200 people in Southampton.) Between 2,000 and 4,000 other jobs in the Southampton City region are likely to be dependent on the expenditure of Port related companies and their employees. The report acknowledges but does not quantify, that further jobs outside the City region will also be dependent on the Port.

Types of Hazardous Cargoes Handled

all types (Classes IMDG 1-9).

Quantities of Hazardous Cargoes Handled

Records are only maintained for Class 1 explosives, most of which is destined for Marchwood Military Port.

Noxious liquid and gas bulk cargo for Esso and BP (Fawley and Hamble) totals approximately 24mT/annum.

Table 3

PORT OF SOUTHAMPTON BERTHING INFORMATION

TABLE 4

PORT OF SOUTHAMPTON - SHIPPING AND CARGO STATISTICS

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Source: Towards Strategic Guidance for the Solent, March 1996