Liverpool steel terminal close to completion
Peel Ports says an expanded 20,000 sq ft steel terminal at the Port of Liverpool will be complete by the end of the year as it looks to meet rising demand. Tony McDonough reports
Peel Ports is close to completing a 20,000 sq ft steel terminal expansion at the Port of Liverpool as it reports the busiest month for steel for more than two years.
In September the port handled more than 75,000 tonnes of steel at terminals in Liverpool and Birkenhead. It is the highest monthly volume since July 2021 when more than 93,000 tonnes of steel passed through the port.
In order to meet rising demand Peel Ports began construction of a 20,000 sq ft extended warehouse at its North 3 Canada Dock earlier this year.
An initial 8,000 sq ft of the newly created warehouse space is already in use. A second phase of construction work to build an extra 12,000 sq ft of the terminal is ongoing and will be completed in December.
Phil Hall, Mersey Ports director at Peel Ports Group said: “We’re really pleased to have seen such an increase in demand for steel handling at our port in recent months.
“This positive news led to us choosing to increase the size of our facility, which offers customers the chance to expand their capacity, as well as improving our handling facilities at the port.
“Given the benefits of the Port of Liverpool’s central location, and its proximity to UK manufacturing sites, we believe this will be a very important and worthwhile investment.”
READ MORE: ‘Why I oppose port access road’… shadow roads minister
READ MORE: Port of Liverpool announces job losses
The site now has 280,000 sq ft of internal storage, as well as 100,000 sq ft of external footage. It also has a total throughput capacity of in excess of 600,000 tonnes annually.
The facility was once the UK’s first fully-automated steel terminal following a £9m upgrade in 2016.
Real time stock availability, precision coil selection and a vehicle booking system has minimised back office processing and paperwork, handling, as well as haulier turn-around time since its completion.