WASHINGTON: Investments in port infrastructure are helping Lancashire, England prosper economically, according to port operator Peel Ports. Peel Ports, the main investor in the infrastructure, has funded projects at Heysham and Liverpool, as well at the new Bay Gateway. At the Port of Heysham, a new link-span bridge is under construction and is expected to increase throughput by allowing larger roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessels to operate within the Irish Sea. The 10 million euro investment (U.S. $10.8 million) scheduled for completion in October, will create a fourth berth for freight and passenger vessels.
The Port of Heysham primarily serves ro-ro carriers in the Irish Sea and easily connects to the M6 for distribution to the United Kingdom’s mainland. At Liverpool, Peel Ports recently opened the Liverpool2 container terminal, which cost 400 million euros. The new deep-water container terminal can accommodate post-Panamax vessels and is expected to double container capacity annually. The Bay Gateway just recently opened in March, linking the Heysham peninsula directly to the M6, cutting travel time in half for cargo journeying between the UK and Ireland. The gateway stretches 4.8 kilomenters and supported 3,000 jobs during the construction phase, according to Leader of Lancashire County Councillor Jennifer Mein.
