Peel Ports and Suardiaz have launched a Green Automotive manufacturing Hub that is expected to significantly reduce supply chain emissions in England’s North West.
The £10 million ($12.5 million) facility was officially opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony on 14 November as it welcomed a Suardiaz vessel from Vigo Port in Spain, to which it will service a twice-weekly shipping route.
The hub is located on a 9.5-acre site at Queen Elizabeth II Dock at Eastham within Peel Ports’ Mersey cluster, and will power sustainable vehicle manufacturing and facilitate a greener end-to-end maritime logistics service in the North West.
The service was developed in partnership with global logistics firm Suardiaz for automaker, Stellantis, and it will supply parts for Ellesmere Port’s vehicle manufacturing site, which is now reportedly the first of its plants to produce solely battery-electric models for commercial and passenger vehicles.
The maritime route servicing the plant is projected to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 30 per cent and energy consumption by 37 per cent, when compared to road travel. It is expected to take an estimated 14,700 lorry journeys off roads across the UK and continental Europe annually, saving approximately 17.5 million kilometres in road trips.
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Peel Ports and Suardíaz invested a combined £10 ($12.5 million) million in recommissioning an existing berth at the dock and installing the infrastructure needed to support the processing of the RoRo ships and their cargo to develop the Hub.
Claudio Veritiero, CEO at Peel Ports said: “This new Green Automotive Hub is set to be a gamechanger in cutting supply chain emissions and road congestion in the UK.
“It’s a great example of the forward thinking cooperation that is needed to reduce the impact of the maritime and logistics sectors on the environment.
“We have consistently said that reducing road miles will be central to combating climate change, but we know that can only be achieved by providing sustainable alternatives utilising ports in close proximity to final destinations.
“An essential element of our sustainability drive is close collaboration with like-minded businesses, and we are delighted to partner with Suardiaz and Stellantis on this pioneering project,” Veritiero added.
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Juan Riva, President and CEO of Suardiaz, said: “This new Suardiaz Terminal is the result of the excellent collaboration between Peel Ports and Suardiaz, as well as the trust vested by Stellantis in Suardiaz to establish and execute the supply chain for Ellesmere Port Plant.
“The Intermodal solution we have implemented for the Ellesmere Port factory, which combines road and maritime transport, will significantly reduce CO2 emissions by eliminating over 14,000 trucks from European and British roads.
“Furthermore, we are actively engaged with Peel Ports, Freeports, and the Ellesmere Port Plant to facilitate the adoption of Cold Ironing and the electrification of the last mile by using electric trucks.
“The imminent introduction of biofuels to our ships will further strengthen our commitment to the decarbonisation and sustainability of our maritime-land corridors, in the same spirit under which Stellantis electric vehicles are manufactured,” Riva continued.
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Diane Miller, Ellesmere Port Plant Director, Stellantis, said: “We’re thrilled to be marking the opening of the new Green Automotive Hub at Queen Elizabeth II Eastham dock.
“Following the start of electric vehicle production earlier this year, this is another important milestone for Ellesmere Port, enabling us to establish a sustainable supply chain through a new maritime shipping route with our sister plant in Vigo, Spain,” Miller added.
In October, Peel Ports’ Clydeport won the Green Champion award at the 25th annual Glasgow Business Awards.
