The Port of Liverpool will welcome Maersk and MSC’s TA2 transatlantic service on its inaugural call into Liverpool2, the port’s huge deep-water, west facing container terminal.
Jointly known as the 2m Alliance, the firms’ TA2 weekly service connects the North European ports of Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Le Havre and Liverpool to US East Coast ports Newark, Baltimore, Norfolk and Savannah.
From December, the service will arrive into Liverpool2, which is seeing continued investment and expansion to facilitate an increasing number of volumes and services.
Port owner Peel Ports Group and global terminal business, Terminal Investment Limited’s (TiL) multi-million-pound investment will support increased capacity and demand for container imports and exports.
This includes a £140 million investment into new landside CRMGs, as well as the recruitment of 150 staff to support increased capacity. The investment will allow The Port of Liverpool to drive its share of the container market by 15% to 20% by 2025.
Ideally positioned on the west coast, the terminal is capable of handling up to two 380m vessels simultaneously and eliminates up to 200 miles of road or rail transport per container journey.
It provides the quickest and cheapest route to major markets and is the best connected container terminal in the country, with ten motorways located within ten miles.
David Huck, Managing Director – Group Ports at Peel Ports Group said: “We have been working closely with Maersk and MSC (The 2M Alliance) over the last few months to accommodate its TA2 transatlantic service at the Port of Liverpool and expand our transatlantic offering.
“By choosing to re-route the service to Liverpool, the 2M alliance will be able to take advantage of our strategic location, hinterland connectivity and a closer proximity to UK import and export markets, reducing cost, carbon and congestion.”
Despite the pandemic, the Port of Liverpool has continued to drive forward planned investment in people, infrastructure and technologies.
David added: “Whilst a Brexit trade deal is yet to be reached, we have ensured we have continued to invest in our people, processes and technologies and last month embarked on a major recruitment drive across Merseyside, ensuring we keep the supply of vital goods flowing across the UK.
“The team has played a pivotal role in maintaining the country’s steady flow of essential goods, such as food and medicine, and this efficiency and productivity continues in the run up to Christmas and the countdown to Brexit.
“By working with Maersk and MSC on their TA2 service, we hope to encourage more services to the Port of Liverpool, helping alleviate some of the pinch points on supply chains, which have previously relied on Southern ports, and help build supply chain resiliency, which will become more important than ever before as we reach the end of the Brexit transition period.
“Welcoming the world’s leading shipping lines to Liverpool is a testament to the ongoing investment we are making at Liverpool2 and continues to position Liverpool front and centre on the global trading stage.”