Bulk Distributor Nov/Dec 15 | Page 4

4 Intermodal BULKDISTRIBUTOR November/December 2015 Stobart sets up on the Thames E ddie Stobart has announced a new container transport base at DP World London Gateway port. The logistics firm believes the location will provide Eddie Stobart with a strategic operational base to support growth in the south of the UK. As well as being on the doorstep of London and the South East, London Gateway will allow Eddie Stobart to serve destinations across the UK, using road and rail solution to provide shipping lines and cargo owners the opportunity to reduce mileage and costs as well as supporting their overall carbon reduction agendas and increasing supply chain reliability. Alex Laffey, the company’s CEO, said of the announcement: “We see the potential at DP World London Gateway and the opportunity to offer our customers greater cost efficiencies and environmentally friendly supply chain solutions. As a multimodal transport and warehouse provider, we believe that London Gateway provides a natural strategic fit with the growth plans for our business. We look forward to working in partnership with the DP World team so that we can jointly offer world class transport solutions.” London Gateway CEO Simon Moore commented: “We are delighted to welcome Eddie Stobart Logistics to DP World London Gateway. It’s great to see a leading brand realise its growth plans here at Britain’s newest port and logistics park, which reduces costs from supply chains by allowing customers to ship closer and save money. “We welcome Stobart’s commitment to provide competitive prices for deliveries into the UK market. The team are highly professional and I’m confident Eddie Stobart will provide UK cargo owners and shippers the very best in service and deliver real savings across the industry.” The port and logistics park is located closer to the midlands and the location also enables quicker access to the biggest consumer market in the UK, London. The capital is expected to grow from 8.7 million to 10 million consumers in the next 15 years. Barca is best INTERMODAL ASIA H 22-24 MARCH 2016 Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center ASIA’S CONTAINER, TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS EVENT DO BUSINESS with key industry decision makers ENHANCE your existing relationships CLOSE deals and grow profit SOURCE and secure new distributors and buyers LAUNCH new products to a targeted and captive audience STRENGTHEN your brand and stay ahead of your competitors Organised by Supported by Follow us on: www.intermodal-asia.com Int Asia16 ad 179x263.indd 1 28/10/2015 08:15 utchison Port Holdings (HPH) subsidiary Barcelona Europe South Terminal (BEST) moved 15,000 TEU via rail in August, breaking its previous record of 13,000 TEU set in March of this year. During August BEST serviced nearly 300 trains, a 25 percent increase on its monthly average. The terminal is equipped with two rail mounted gantry cranes allowing trains to be loaded in an average of 1.5 hours per train and unloaded in one hour. Each train has 22 wagons with capacity for 72 TEU. Guillermo Belcastro, general manager of BEST, said it was an important milestone for BEST and the Port of Barcelona. “With the continued hard work and support from the stevedores and the Barcelona Port Community we hope to sustain this trend for growth,” he commented. Rail traffic at BEST has increased significantly in recent years, increasing from 7.17 percent of local traffic in 2010 to 19 percent currently. BEST has an eight-track railway facility, the biggest on-dock railway terminal of any port in the Mediterranean. The rail facilities currently serve a large hinterland within a 600km radius of Barcelona. The potential market for rail has expanded in recent years supporting the strategic objective of the Port of Barcelona to become the Mediterranean’s alternative access point for European markets. Best operates an average of 65 weekly services to and from main destinations; Azuqueca (Madrid), Lisboa, Noain (Pamplona), Selgua, Zaragoza Plaza, Zaragoza TMZ, Villafría (Burgos), Tarragona and France. At the same time TCB Railway, a rail freight company belonging to stevedore Grup TCB, increased freight container traffic at the Port of Barcelona by 16.6 percent in the first nine months of this year. Between January and September, it handled 109,873 TEU, while during the same period last year the volume was 94,218 TEU. The company expects to exceed 140,000 TEU by the end of year, which would be a record for TCB Railway, exceeding last year’s figure by approximately 10 percent. The company says its growth stems from offering tailor-made and high quality services, who gain access to Spain’s inland markets thanks to dry ports and intermodal transport. The recovery in imports and exports is one of the factors behind the rise of this mode of transport.