Reefer containers are still being diverted from Southampton Container Terminal to the port of Tilbury, more than a month after a crane accident at the Hampshire port.
Since the accident, on January 18, all 11 cranes are being subjected to safety checks and at February 19 only six were operational.
“Under normal conditions we would have a regular weekly service from the Caribbean bringing in bananas, pineapples and so on in reefer containers, but over the past two weeks we have only had one vessel because of the issues with the cranes,” said Geoff Ketley of SCT. “Now the vessels are calling at our sister port [Tilbury] and we expect this to continue until at least the middle of next month.”
The Freight Transport Association has bemoaned the situation. “'This is a serious and ongoing problem,” said the FTA’s head global supply chain policy, Christopher Snelling. “Companies around the country are still having to reroute deliveries through continental ports, adding delay and cost into supply chains. Hauliers are losing out massively as goods are not getting through to be delivered. Forward planning to deal with the ongoing problems has been impossible as it has not been clear until now how long the problems will last. Now companies will need to be making alternative plans for another month at least.”
“Accidents happen, and safety should always be paramount, but two months to recover from such a serious problem is far too long. This once again shows how overextended is our current container port capability. We need to see massive expansion of our ports, and significant investment in improving the facilities available.”
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