We’re interested in anything relating to car shipping at First Base Freight so naturally our attention was drawn to news recently about a port expansion at Southampton. Apparently this is a result of a boom in car traffic and we thought we’d take a closer look.
Southampton has been struggling to cope with the recent spark in the UK car industry, and this had led them to building multi-deck storage facilities for new car exports. The issue arises around a lack of land, there simply isn’t enough space to house all the new vehicles! In 2012 alone the port was responsible for 31% of all UK car exports and in 2013 the estimated figure is an astonishing 750, 000 cars. There is a solution available though at the nearby Marchwood military docks.
Marchwood is a 300-acre military port that has been put under review by the Ministry of Defence. It currently employs 150 civilians and 600 troops, but it is expected the MOD will sell the site and lease it back, providing the port at Southampton with plenty of room for car storage in the future. It’s an interesting proposition, and it would certainly give the port authorities the opportunity to reorganise the current layout.
The port is owned by Associated British Ports and you’ll find a range of instantly recognisable vehicles being handled on the site. Leading marques like Ford, BMW and Honda ship their exports from the port so it would give them a sense of relief if the storage facilities were expanded for growth in the future.
We think it’s a good thing there’s such a healthy trade in overseas car exports, it’s nice to see UK car manufacturers doing so well. Then again we could be slightly biased when you bear in mind the type of business we are in!