Grangemouth – Scotland’s largest container port

Did you know that in addition to other ports across Scotland, t.ward shipping also covers the port of Grangemouth? 

We have been working alongside the port and supporting clients who use it for many years now, and so we are able to offer all varieties of ships agency from Grangemouth, which is Scotland’s largest container port. Grangemouth handles more than 150,000 containers every year, and there are daily sailings from here to Rotterdam, Antwerp, Felixstowe and Hamburg.

Grangemouth is a popular port for many reasons; obviously the size of the port makes it an ideal choice for many clients, and it’s also very well situated between Glasgow and Edinburgh, right at the centre of Scotland’s industrial heartland. 

Grangemouth is a popular haven for Scottish industry, handling around nine million tonnes of cargo per year. It handles over 2 million tonnes of dry cargo such as timber, granite and steel every year, which makes it an important hub – and it’s getting busier all the time. In November 2014 Grangemouth reported its busiest ever week, handling a record 4,200 containers. At the time, operators credited a good potato seed season as well as an increase of whisky and white spirit cargos.

Grangemouth is the UK’s largest feeder port, and the only one that exports more than it imports. It’s also estimated that 30 per cent of Scotland’s gross domestic product (GDP) goes through the port.

The facilities include;

•  Two gantry cranes
•  13 straddle carriers
•  Modern driver’s reception
•  Integrated Terminal Operating System
•  500,000 sqft of warehousing
•  365 acre estate
•  Private and common user jetties
•  LPG berth
•  Dedicated general cargo berths
•  Ability to handle ro-ro, side port and conventional vessels.

This, plus Grangemouth’s location, its proximity to national road, rail and sea links, and its land availability makes the port an ideal choice for development into a top class logistics and distribution
hub.

Grangemouth is just one of the ports served by t. ward shipping – for more information on our services please refer to our Ships Agency page.

The Margarethe Fighter caught on video

The Margarethe Fighter was recently spotted dredging in Newhaven Harbour, as plans for the development of the port into a cruise liner terminal get under way.

The Margarethe Fighter is certainly an impressive vessel – it has a capacity of 425 tons - and Newhaven port is likely to see some imposing ships in the future, following the plans for the terminal there.

Officials have confirmed that there are plans for more dredging, seabed surveys and reviews of local infrastructure and that there will be a “significant” investment in the project.

As well as hosting ocean-going vessels which are stopping in Edinburgh, it’s possible that Newhaven could also become a departure port for turnaround ships taking domestic travellers overseas, which means that facilities will need to be built to house customs, security and luggage handling facilities.

A spokeswoman for Forth Ports said: “We have had a good level of interest from the cruise industry for this new location due to its close proximity to the internationally appealing city of Edinburgh.

“We are currently working with Edinburgh City Council on the potential opportunities at Newhaven
and Forth Ports is looking to significantly invest in this project.”

Newhaven has a maritime history which dates right back to the 1500s, when Scotland’s most iconic ship, when the Great Michael, was launched there.

Watch the video here

Ports we serve

At t. ward shipping we are experienced in handling consignments of all sizes and types and we offer our services to a wide range of UK ports.

We’ve put together a list of the ports that we serve, along with a list of their specifications, to help you decide on the best option for you. For specialist advice, contact our team and we’ll be happy to provide you with more information.

Leith

Maximum size vessel:
 210m LOA
 30m beam
 9.15m draft.

The Port of Leith is Scotland’s largest enclosed deep water port, with capability to handle ships up to 50,000 DWT.  It’s located to the north east of Edinburgh and offers easy access to the A1, the Edinburgh by-pass, the M8 and M9.  The rail connections are also excellent. Leith offers stevedoring and cargo handling services and is equipped with cranes and equipment, plus secure storage facilities.

Grangemouth

 183m loa (length overall)
 27.5m beam
 11.0m draft (tankers)
 7.75m draft (general cargo)

Grangemouth is the largest container port in Scotland, and handles more than 150,000 containers per year. Situated in between Edinburgh and Glasgow, the port handles over 9 million tonnes of cargo per year and its excellent transport links make it a popular choice for Scottish industry.

Rosyth

     540m loa
 Beam n/a
 Draft - 8.3m

The port of Rosyth enjoys a convenient central location on the north bank of the River Forth, and provides a key gateway to Fife. The port boasts useful access to the M90, the Forth Road Bridge and also to Scotland’s motorways, and is perfect for businesses that want a riverside location with logistical support. The port also has a useful roll on / roll off freight ferry service linking Scotland with mainland Europe.

Babcock, Rosyth:

 Loa – 224m
 Beam - 39m
 Draft – 9.4m

Babcock, Rosyth port is located on the north side of the River Forth about a mile west of the Forth Road Bridge. The port gives access to the non-tidal basin through a conventional lock system and also via a single direct entrance, restricted to high tide transits.

Hunterston

 Inner berth:
 Loa – 380m
 Beam – n/a
 Draft – 23.00

 Outer berth:
 280m loa
 Beam – n/a
 Draft – 23.00m

Hunterston is a bulk terminal deep water port located on Scotland’s west coast which has a dedicated twin head automated rail loading station in addition to a lower rail vehicle loading area that gives easy haulage access to the national motorway network.

We can also help with your shipping requirements for other Firth of Forth and Clyde ports such Methil, Burntisland, Inverkeithing, Glasgow, Ayr and Greenock. For more information on the services we offer, speak to one of our friendly agents.

Importing through a southern port? You don’t need a southern agent!

If you’re a Scottish business trying to keep your business costs down when you’re importing goods from China and the Far East, it’s natural to assume that saving money on a shipping agent means dealing with an agent close to your chosen port of entry, such as Felixstowe or Thamesport.

This isn’t always the case; in fact you might find that even though your business is based in Scotland and you’re importing goods through Felixstowe, for example, it can work out more economical and convenient to use a shipping agency local to you, such as t ward shipping. It’s actually something of a widely held misconception that it costs less to use an agent close to the port of import, and t ward works with numerous different businesses who chose Thamesport and other southern UK ports for their LCL and FCL cargo shipments.

According to 2012 figures, China is currently one of the UKs main import partners, with only Germany exporting more goods to our shores. China is responsible for 8.2 per cent of goods imported into the UK and the amount of goods coming this way from the Far East is on the rise with enterprising online businesses finding bargains and selling them in the UK.

There has definitely been a surge in small businesses and sole traders who need to import goods from China, for example, to sell on sites such as eBay and Amazon. They need to be able to use a reliable shipping agent with competitive rates, and they come to us for help with their needs – we don’t just work with the big names, we’re happy to assist individuals and small businesses. It can work out cheaper for them to have their goods delivered in the south, but that’s not an issue for us, we have a transport network that efficiently moves cargo all around the UK, and quite often at a much lower cost than you might expect.

If you need to import goods through a port in the south of England, don’t automatically assume it will be easier and cheaper to use an agent locally. Contact t ward shipping for advice and a quote and we’ll see how we can help you.

Importing rugs from India – it’s second Nature to us!

We were delighted to be able to offer our services to a small, local family business, Second Nature, recently.

Second Nature has a gorgeous shop in Dumfries along with a successful online business and their products are sourced from all over the world, including Morocco and India. The business believes in the principles of fair trade and environmental protection, and are passionate about sourcing and importing products that fit with their principles, and are either natural, fair trade or eco-friendly. Of course, it helps that the products are all high quality and wonderful to browse.

We were asked to assist the company with a recent import of fantastic products, including a range of hand loomed Indian rugs. They had two containers which needed to be transported from Kerala, and we were more than happy to help.  The company were so impressed that in their own words they became ‘geeky’ about being able to watch the two containers as they made their way from Kerala to Felixstowe, mentioning on their Facebook page that they’d watched the shipments on the Marine Tracker app and been very excited as they watched one dock, and the other making its way around Portugal!

We look forward to being able to help Second Nature with more of their imports in the future and bring more of their fantastic wares to the UK from overseas.

What is the role of a ship broker?

A ship broker plays a very important role in the transport of goods by sea, and the broker’s main role is to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible, bringing all the parties involved together and resolving any issues as they occur.

Examples of the type of project we oversee could include matching a UK-based grain merchant that needs to sell 3,000mt of grain to a client in Morocco and who is looking for a suitable ship to transport it with a European ship owner who is travelling to Morocco and is looking for cargo to take back to Northern Europe.

A ship broker usually works on behalf of one of the parties but acts as a mediator between one or more of them. The simplest scenarios to oversee usually involve just a cargo merchant, a ship broker, the ship owner/charterer and the purchaser of the cargo that’s being shipped.

Sometimes things can become more complicated, and that’s when the ship broker’s work is really cut out for them. In some cases, we can be dealing with a cargo seller, who has a broker of their own acting on their behalf, in addition to an intermediate broker, the charterer’s broker, the charterer, the ship owner and then buyer of the goods. It can be a challenge to keep the communication going between so many different parties; all with their own interests, but a good ship broker will have the benefit of experience and a good network of contacts throughout the business.

T.ward shipping is proud to have built up a great range of clients and contacts during out many years’ ship broking experience, throughout the UK and Europe. We are happy to facilitate and oversee all aspects of Shipbroking and charters for your cargo or ship.

Good Luck with the ICS Exams

This time of year means just one thing for some young students in the shipping industry; their Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers exams. These important exams are looming now and it’s likely that most students will truly have their heads buried in their books.

The ICS is the professional body for members of the commercial shipping industry, founded in 1911 and awarded a Royal Charter in 1920. It is the only internationally recognized professional body in the commercial maritime sector representing all section of commercial shipping such as brokers, managers and agents, with 24 branches in key locations all over the world and a membership of over 4,000 individuals.

The Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) is the top ICS qualification, which is designed to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the commercial shipping industry. The PQE is made up of seven separate exams that can be taken over a period of five years, although most people complete them more quickly.

Embarking on PQE will mean you need to sit a minimum of two exams in your first year (one of which must be Shipping Business), and after that you can decide which subjects to take from the syllabus. Once you have completed your PQEs you will be eligible to apply for membership with the Institute.

t.ward shipping recognizes the contribution ICS has made to the commercial shipping industry in the UK and worldwide which is why we ensure that all of our new employees take steps to completing the Professional Qualifying Examinations (PQE) in topics such as Shipping Law and Dry Cargo Chartering (and more.)

There are other educational options with the ICS such as foundation diploma and advanced diploma, but only those who complete the PQE are eligible for membership of the ICS. Whichever avenue a student chooses to take, they can be sure the education they will get from the ICS will be a tremendous foundation to work from in their professional shipping career.

Our very own Callum Hamilton (MICS) completed his PQE in 2011 gaining membership to ICS in 2012. His hard work also gained him the Port Agency prize for best marks in the Port Agency exam in 2010.

Callum was delighted with his award and said, “All students want to pass their exams, and the target is always the pass mark, but it’s a real bonus when your hard work is recognised and rewarded.”

To all the students preparing for 2015 exams in April, t.ward shipping would like formally wish you good luck and best wishes.

For more information on the ICS please go to http://www.ics.org.uk/home