Completion of Liverpool Produce Terminal (LPT) has been pushed back by one month by poor weather, which delayed construction.
The £6 million terminal being built on the quayside at Royal Seaforth Dock by Go-Associates was originally set to open for business in mid-September, to coincide with the start of the Spanish produce season.
But “miserable” weather over the last four months means the first vessel is now scheduled to arrive at the terminal on October 14, said operations director Andy Rickard.
He told freshinfo: “It’s been a miserable summer and strong winds have delayed the builders putting up the cladding. We were trying to weatherproof the shell to pour in the concrete floor. We put the floor in two weeks ago and are now putting up the panels, so we are pulling back time.
“But we have sensibly agreed to delay going live by a month. When the first ships arrive, it has all got to go well.”
The trade’s response to the delay has been “generally understanding”, said Rickard. “It is awkward because the Spanish season starts at the beginning of October and instead of having the chance to do a few trials, we will now open right in the middle of the season. The decision has been understood and well received, but it is an inconvenience because all indications are that the Spanish season will be very strong this year.
“But everybody has been very pragmatic about the whole thing. People are still interested and still want to try the new facility, as it is big PR news from the carbon footprint angle.”
The terminal is set to offer a cost-effective, all-water alternative to the 300 trucks that arrive in the UK every day loaded with Spanish produce. But until LPT opens for business, produce will continue to travel by road.
“It is an inconvenience to have had to push it back but there is still a lot of support for LPT,” added Rickard.
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