Port operator invests £32m 'to future-proof docks'

Peel Ports commercial director Stephen Carr says the company wants to "future proof" its operations, as demand increases

A £32m expansion of storage facilities at the Port of Liverpool will help "future-proof" the docks as demand increases, the port operator has said.

Peel Ports Group said it was part of a £100m investment into its steel and metals sector and was "a move to enhance capacity and boost the efficiency of logistics".

A new team of specialist stevedores, who load and unload ships at the port, had been created and the company was recruiting more staff, it said.

The expansion plans will also increase capacity at warehouses in Liverpool by 50%, with two new ones being built at Seaforth Dock.

Peel Ports Group's commercial director Stephen Carr told BBC Radio Merseyside that a further benefit of such investments was that they tended to attract third party companies who "start to come in and create jobs as well".

Mr Carr said the company had probably invested more than £1bn in new facilities over the past decade and this was just the next stage of that journey "making sure that the port isn't just fit for today but is fit for the generations in the future".

New automated terminals are to be introduced in Liverpool and London Medway, along with a new new automated rail facility in the Midlands.

The company is expanding its facilities at the Port of Liverpool

Further plans include creating a second automated terminal in Liverpool dedicated to steel coils.

David Huck, the company's chief operating officer, said: "Demand for steel and metals handling across our port group, and the UK in general, has risen sharply over the past five years and this will allow us to expand our support to the construction and manufacturing supply chain right across the country."

He said the port's location in Liverpool "is in the heart of Britain and gives us a clear advantage - perfectly placed to serve stockholders and fabricators nationwide, supported by excellent road and rail links".