British Ports Association Weekly Snapshot

Weekly Snapshot

Our five minute roundup of key topics affecting UK ports sector this week

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Have you ever waited for your boss to be on holiday to get bad news out the door? Not me, of course, but as both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were away this week the Bank of England said the UK is facing a 15 month recession beginning later this year. The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street also unveiled the biggest hike in interest rates since gaining independence from Ministers 25 years ago in an effort to ease inflation which could hit 13% this year. In 2023 we will all fondly be recalling the good ol’ days when butter was only £7, it seems. Ports will be following efforts to curb demand closely of course on back of a tentative recovery in volumes for many cargo types. Here at BPA Towers we will be watching closely to see how higher interest rates (and a new Prime Minister) will affect port investment.

Many in the maritime sector will have seen news this week that Informa is selling Lloyd's List for £385m. We will be watching with interest where the new buyer will take it. Incidentally, if anybody is looking to buy the BPA Weekly Snapshot, please make me an offer before the boss gets back from holiday.

It's been a great week for UK sport and culture. England football fans have had to get to grips with the unusual feeling of winning a tournament. The Commonwealth Games is underway in Birmingham with a 72 year old Scottish medallist making some of us feel like we should probably play more sport. Today also marks the start of the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Many ports are also hosting festivals, regattas and other exciting events. The BPA team has been out and about a lot recently and we're looking forward to getting some more port visits in ahead of an extremely busy Autumn so if you've not seen us for a while, get in touch!

Mark Simmonds
British Ports Association

British Ports Association Awards now open for nominations!

The BPA always strives to champion the UK ports sector. As such, we are delighted to announce that applications for the first ever BPA Awards are now open!

The Awards are open to apply from all BPA member ports. Applications will be independently judged from a diverse group of industry leaders, with the winners announced at the BPA Gala Dinner on 6 October, as part of the BPA Conference.

There three award categories are: Port Sustainability Award, Outstanding Port Award, and Extraordinary Individual Award. Please click here for more information on how to apply.

The deadline for submissions is 19 September. We wish you the best of luck and hope to see you in Aberdeen soon!

Sea Passenger Stats

The number of international sea passengers decreased by 21% to 5.6 million in 2021, according to revised sea passenger statistics from the Department for Transport.

Covid-19 continued to affect both domestic and international passenger numbers despite an easing of restrictions towards the end of the year. The cruise industry enjoyed an increase of 70% to 181,000 passengers as journeys resumed, however this was still a decrease of 92% in volume compared to 2019.

Ports continued to experience a decline in footfall in 2021, compared to 2020. Dover, the port with the largest international short sea passenger numbers, decreased by 29% from 4.4 million in 2020 to 3.1 million in 2021. Milford Haven and Fishguard, by contrast, saw their passenger numbers increase in 2021, by 27% and 45% respectively. For further information on passenger numbers in 2021, see our summary in Circular 251.

New Fisheries Funding for Skills

Defra have opened the UK Seafood Fund Skills and Training scheme for applications this week. You will be able to apply for a grant until the 12th October 2022. Further details can be found on the scheme’s webpage.

Defra had previously said that up to £5 million of the overall £10 million budget for the Skills and Training scheme will be used for larger-scale training projects that involve building or modernising training centres and facilities for the seafood sector and that you will be able to apply for this in a future round of the Infrastructure scheme, opening in late Autumn. This has now changed and Defra are now going to run these types of projects through a second round of the Skills and Training scheme instead, to open in late Autumn.

The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee recently called on Ministers to expand the size and length of the fund. The BPA gave evidence to the Committee in June and they have included our calls for more support for applicants and longer timelines in their initial recommendations.

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