Shipping company set to change ports

The 10-year arrangement with Associated British Ports will see TransAtlantic UK moving to premises on King George Dock. The company transports freight to and from Sweden via the Humber, importing steel, timber and paper – as well as cider – and exporting UK-made steel and products ranging from car parts to drinks.

The 39 staff are being offered the chance to transfer to Hull.

Managing director Nick Green said it was becoming more difficult to get the larger, heavier vessels in its fleet, which are designed to cope with frozen seas, up the river beyond the Humber Bridge.

Mr Green said: “Whilst Goole has been a fantastic location over the years and we have had a great relationship with the town of Goole and the port we have simply outgrown the port and the river.

“Our ships are designed to ply to the Baltic ports and as the Baltic gets frozen we need Ice Class vessels. Along with that classification there’s a size issue. We have had numerous discussions over what is happening with the river.

“All I can observe is that it more difficult for us to get the vessels upriver fully laden. On many occasions we’ve had to lighten our vessels at Immingham and we are doing that with increased frequency. All sorts of delays and problems with scheduling would have ensued if we’d carried on.

“We are expanding our business as well and we want to be able to have the capability for even larger vessels in the future.”

The company appears to be weathering the recession well, with last year’s monthly export figures up 50 per cent over 2009. Mr Green said the company had achieved that by helping manufacturers and logistics managers to provide a robust but cost-effective service. The weak pound had also helped.

Work is about to start on a new 8,500 sq m warehouse on the site of two silos at Terminal 3, close to the P&O North Sea Ferries terminal, which were dismantled earlier this year, with the company also taking up a refurbished 8,000 sq m warehouse.

The company will move in a phased operation, starting in September when its ships start discharging into Hull.

The process will end when office-based staff move to Hull at the beginning of the New Year.

Mr Green added: “I really hope that all our people will come with us.”

Mr Green said there was still plenty of opportunity at Goole: “Operations that have smaller ships will have some great opportunities in the port of Goole; from our point of view we have simply outgrown the port.”

The former Cargill UK silos were last leased from ABP by Frontier, which has moved to a new purpose-built facility on the dock. In their lifetime they held billions of tonnes of grain for export.