U.K. forwarders: Ports policy inadequate

U.K. forwarders: Ports policy inadequate    The British International Freight Association (BIFA) last week criticized the United Kingdom's recent draft National Policy Statement on ports as inadequate and backed members of the country's parliament who have criticized the document.
   BIFA is the trade association for U.K. freight forwarders.
   'Britain is at a tipping point in terms of its seaport framework and there is a danger of valuable shipping activity being lost to near continent rivals,' said Peter Quantrill, BIFA director general.

Quantrill

   The Department for Transport (DfT) issued its draft National Policy Statement on Ports (NPS) and invited responses to its proposals late last year. BIFA's main concern remains that certain elements of the NPS could disadvantage the United Kingdom and may contribute to trade moving abroad.
   'BIFA has expressed its concern that if the NPS puts additional hurdles in the path of U.K. port expansion, that could drive more vessels to the welcoming arms of ports such as Antwerp and Rotterdam to load and discharge their cargoes,' Quantrill said. 'Under the draft statement, non-business issues such as the impact on the environment, national security and historic buildings/wrecks have to be considered when an application for port development is made. The concern is that the NPS, in both tone and content, fails to place sufficient emphasis on business issues.
   'BIFA supports the general concept of the free market providing sufficient capacity, but is concerned that no mechanism is in place either to monitor whether this aim is being achieved, or to encourage its attainment if a capacity shortfall is identified. It is of the utmost importance that deep sea ocean shipping lines continue to call direct at U.K. ports. If they do not the danger is that freight will be discharged on the continent. Regardless of how the goods are finally delivered to the U.K., the extra handling would increase costs and cause delays.'
   BIFA noted that the NPS calls for infrastructure improvements (such as better road or rail links related to port expansion) would be funded in part by the port operator, increasing their costs.
   'This places the U.K. at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the EU, where such infrastructure improvements are state funded,' BIFA said. 'The danger must be that within a highly competitive Western European port industry that operators will choose to expand these continental ports in preference to their U.K. operations.' ' Eric Johnson