Bulk Distributor Nov/Dec 17 | Page 19

November / December 2017

UK ports are worried about potential chaos as trucks face lengthy customs checks on either side of the English Channel

UK ports urge ‘ sensible ’ Brexit deal

Ahead of October ’ s EU Council summit the British

Ports Association ’ s ( BPA ) chief executive , Richard Ballantyne , urged the UK Government and the EU to find “ a creative and sensible ” Brexit solution to the challenges facing roll-on roll-off ferry ports and operators . Although couched in diplomatic terms , ports and the logistics sector in general are increasingly worried that the UK government is unable to stop the momentum towards a cliff-edge Brexit with catastrophic consequences for UK trade . Should that happen there is a real prospect of chaos at the country ’ s ports as trucks face lengthy customs checks on either side of the English Channel . Ballantyne said : “ Whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations , it is vital that freight and passengers continue to pass smoothly through our ports . There has been much attention on agreeing a free trade deal with the EU but it is important not to overlook potentially more costly disruption created from non-tariff barriers at the border . “ So far , the issues of trade facilitation at the border have been well publicised but we are concerned that the recent UK-EU stalemate means that the possibility of bureaucratic customs checks and potentially disruptive port health controls is a distinct possibility for all types of port traffic

����������������

Bluepack 2 , 6 , 13 , 19

CIMC 5

Dacro BV 15

Flaxfield - JOPM 9

Fort Vale 11

ITCO 20

Klinge Corporation 3

LC Packaging 12

Lohia 13

Multimodal 16

Multitank 6

Normec 10

Real Asset Management - RAM 4

Events

Ports & Storage with Europe .” There has been much focus on the potential disruption facing the roll-on roll-off ferry services . However , BPA points out that failure to reach agreements on environmental standards could have wider implications . This could potentially mean prescriptive port health controls for agricultural and food cargoes at all types of port with such trade with the EU . “ At best without agreement these could be timeconsuming , costly and disruptive border checks , at worst they could create significant infrastructure challenges for port terminals need new inspection facilities ,” Ballantyne continued . “ This is an issue facing ports both in the UK and the EU and so it will be in both sides ’ interests to reach an agreement .” As well as these challenges there are a number of potential post Brexit and opportunities and of these possibilities Ballantyne added . “ Generally , a number of UK ports are looking at opportunities such as new trade and initiatives , like free trade zones , after the UK leaves the EU . We are also discussing with government how the planning framework might be made to work better for ports and developers ,” he added .

GPCA Forum 27-29 November 2017 Dubai , UAE www . gpcaforum . net

Intermodal Europe 28-30 November 2017 Amsterdam , Netherlands www . intermodal-events . com

ECTA Annual Meeting 23 November 2017 Dusseldorf , Germany www . ECTA . com

Tank Storage Germany 29-30 November 2017 Hamburg , Germany www . easyfairs . com / tank-storagegermany-2017 /

Stoc Expo Europe 20-22 March 2018 Rotterdam , The Netherlands www . easyfairs . com / stocexpoeurope-2018

BULKDISTRIBUTOR

Antwerp aims for ‘ zero pellet loss ’

19

Plastics are found everywhere in modern life . The raw materials of which plastic products are made are polymers , usually delivered in the form of small pellets . Belgian port Antwerp is the main polymer hub in Europe for production , handling and distribution of plastic pellets . Each year , millions of pellets find their way via Antwerp to other hubs in Europe . Preventing these small plastic pellets getting into the water or anywhere else where they are not wanted is a top priority in all these activities . The companies in the port have long taken various initiatives to prevent the loss of pellets , but now the entire sector is taking the game to a new level . Manufacturing industry , logistics operators and the transport sector are putting their weight behind ‘ Operation Clean Sweep ’. Antwerp says it is the first port in Europe to sign up for this programme , an initiative of PlasticsEurope . In practical terms a ‘ Zero Pellet Loss ’ consultative platform is being set up in Antwerp to organise measures for keeping the loss of pellets to an absolute minimum . “ Sustainable enterprise is now deep in the genes of our port companies ,” said port alderman Marc Van Peel . “ They work hard in all sectors to reconcile people , planet , prosperity , peace and partnership . The signing of this charter today is the best proof of the great importance attached to this subject in the world of plastics .” Operation Clean Sweep is an international programme supported by PlasticsEurope , with the aim of preventing plastic litter materials getting into the marine environment . Companies that join this programme undertake to help achieve zero pellet loss . Antwerp is the first port in Europe to sign up it . Signing the charter on behalf of the port , Van Peel declared : “ The fact that all players in the polymer logistics chain are prepared to take part in this programme is key to its success : collaboration gives the best guarantee of obtaining good results .”

Polymers at Katoen Natie

The initiative is being organised by Antwerp Port Authority , essenscia ( federation of the chemical , plastics and life sciences industries ), Voka Chamber of Commerce Antwerp-Waasland : Industry Platform and Alfaport , and PlasticsEurope . While , the main challenge is to reduce the loss of pellets to the absolute minimum , companies in the port are not starting from scratch . Various initiatives have already been taken in the past to prevent the loss of pellets . Wide-scale cleanup operations were organised in the port area at the beginning of this year . But to make further progress it is necessary to adopt an approach that covers the whole port and the whole sector . Weekly monitoring will be done to discover the places where plastics can be found in the environment , so that the pollution can be traced to its source and action taken to prevent it . An incident manager will keep watch on pollution and take action to clear it up whenever necessary . The costs of all this will be shared among the various participants . Reducing the number of plastic pellets that get lost is not the only subject on which the sector is concentrating . More sustainable production and processing of polymers are also high on the agenda . To achieve this , a consultative platform was recently set up at which the participants exchange best practices for making the plastics sector more sustainable . The participants in this platform are all members of the Zero Pellet Loss project . It is no coincidence that the Operation Clean Sweep charter was signed on the same day as the Antwerp port community presented its fourth Sustainability Report . The report was first published in 2011 and has been produced every two years since then . It gives an overview of the initiatives taken by companies in the port to operate as sustainably as possible and so to contribute towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations .

Rishi 14

Transaid 18

For information on advertising contact us on : + 44 ( 0 ) 1565 653283

Published 6 times a year . Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited . ISSN 1462-0731

Industrial Pack 4-5 April 2018 Atlanta , USA www . artexiseasyfairs . com

Multimodal 1-3 May 2018 NEC , Birmingham , UK www . multimodal . org . uk

Pollution at Doel and Verrebroek dock

WWW . BLUEPACK . DK