The Impact of Container Type Diversification on Regional British Port Development Strategies

Abstract

Despite a concentration of container traffic in the southeast of the UK over the last few decades, regional ports are attempting new development strategies to capture or retain specific traffic segments. These include intra-European short-sea traffic and a potentially increasing feeder market. These trends are reflected in the movement of different container types, which result in a number of planning challenges related to changing infrastructural and operational requirements. This paper uses highly disaggregated data on container type movements to address three issues that can inform these planning challenges. First, the imbalance of trade resulting in empty container repositioning; second, the requirement for gauge-cleared rail routes to cater for the increasing proportion of high-cube containers; and third, the specialisation of European short-sea traffic at secondary UK ports. The results reveal the disproportionate repositioning of empty containers at Scottish ports and the importance of 45 ft, high-cube and pallet-wide containers at regional ports, highlighting their focus on intra-European short-sea traffic and raising difficulties relating to their lower quality of landside infrastructure (particularly rail) in comparison to the large south-eastern ports. The potential repercussions on hinterland infrastructure development raise questions about both public and private sector responses to regional port development.

Keywords:

• container ports
• shipping
• rail
• intermodal
• infrastructure
• policy
• port-centric logistics
• regional
• hinterland
• integration

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to the two anonymous reviewers whose detailed comments enabled us to improve the paper substantially.

Funding

Research for this paper was funded by the EU Interreg IVB North Sea Region Dryport and GreCor projects.

Notes

1 High-cube containers are 9ft6 high, compared to the standard height of 8ft6 — see Section 4.

2 These are 2.4 in. wider than standard containers in order to fit more pallets in — see Section 4.

3 Two different standards of pallet sizes are used. UK pallets (GKN or CHEP brands) measure 1200 mm × 1000 mm, whereas European pallets measure 800 mm × 1000 m. See http://www.searates.com/reference/pallets/ for a useful diagram showing how the two pallet types fit into different container sizes. UK pallets are loaded horizontally (2 × 1200 mm) and EU pallets vertically (3 × 800 mm). A 45 ft pallet-wide container takes the same number of pallets as a road trailer (26 UK or 33 Euro), compared to a 45 ft standard width container (24 UK or 27 Euro), a 40 ft pallet-wide container (24 UK or 30 Euro) or a 40 ft standard width container (22 UK or 25 Euro).

4 Since the paper was written, Network Rail has begun consideration of upgrading the Berwick to Carstairs route to W10.

5 These wagons were used on two short-lived services in 2012: Teesport — Grangemouth operated by DRS and Teesport — Widnes operated by DRS in conjunction with P&O Ferrymasters to link with ferry sailings between Rotterdam/Zeebrugge and Teesport.

6 Before 2006, loaded imports were rising while empty inbound remained stable.

7 The low coverage in the data set on Tilbury and Hull and lack of coverage of Southampton need to be noted, but these omissions do not affect the results from the other ports.

8 DfT figures show only >40 ft movements, which are presumed to be almost all if not exclusively 45 ft containers.

9 The low coverage in the data set on Tilbury and Hull and lack of coverage of Southampton need to be noted, but these omissions do not affect the results from the other ports.

10 Carrier haulage means that the inland leg of the journey is managed by the shipping line, as opposed to merchant haulage, which is when the shipper or forwarder arranges the inland movement themselves.