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Displaying items by tag: UK first Green AutoHub

15th November 2023

Peel Ports Group and Spanish Operator Suardiaz Lines Launch on Merseyside the UK's First Green Automotive Manufacturing Hub

Across the Irish Sea, Peel Ports Group on Merseyside and Spanish shipping operator, Suardiaz Lines launched a UK-first Green Automotive manufacturing Hub, which will significantly reduce supply chain emissions in the north-west England. 

The £10 million facility which is the first of its kind in the UK, was officially opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday, as it welcomed a Suardiaz ro-ro vessel (Afloat has identified as Friedrich Russ which today is returning to Vigo in Spain) on which it will service a twice-weekly shipping route. 

Located on a 9.5-acre site at Queen Elizabeth II Dock at Eastham, within Peel Ports’ Mersey cluster, the Hub will power sustainable vehicle manufacturing and facilitate a greener end-to-end maritime logistics service in the North West.

Developed in partnership with global logistics firm Suardiaz for leading automaker Stellantis, the service will supply parts for Ellesmere Port’s vehicle manufacturing site, which is now 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% and energy consumption by 37%, 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 (c.11 million miles) in road trips.

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.”

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.”

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. I’d like to thank Peel Ports and Suardiaz for their collaboration on this groundbreaking project.”

Peel Ports and Suardíaz invested a combined £10 million in recommissioning an existing berth at the dock and installing the infrastructure needed to support the processing of the Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo) ships and their cargo to develop the Hub.

The launch of the Green Automotive Hub represents the latest move by Peel Ports to improve the sustainability of its operations. In 2021 the Group announced its commitment to becoming a net zero port operator by 2040, ten years ahead of the UK Government’s target.

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Dublin Bay

Dublin Bay on the east coast of Ireland stretches over seven kilometres, from Howth Head on its northern tip to Dalkey Island in the south. It's a place most Dubliners simply take for granted, and one of the capital's least visited places. But there's more going on out there than you'd imagine.

The biggest boating centre is at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the Bay's south shore that is home to over 1,500 pleasure craft, four waterfront yacht clubs and Ireland's largest marina.

The bay is rather shallow with many sandbanks and rocky outcrops, and was notorious in the past for shipwrecks, especially when the wind was from the east. Until modern times, many ships and their passengers were lost along the treacherous coastline from Howth to Dun Laoghaire, less than a kilometre from shore.

The Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea and is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south. North Bull Island is situated in the northwest part of the bay, where one of two major inshore sandbanks lie, and features a 5 km long sandy beach, Dollymount Strand, fronting an internationally recognised wildfowl reserve. Many of the rivers of Dublin reach the Irish Sea at Dublin Bay: the River Liffey, with the River Dodder flow received less than 1 km inland, River Tolka, and various smaller rivers and streams.

Dublin Bay FAQs

There are approximately ten beaches and bathing spots around Dublin Bay: Dollymount Strand; Forty Foot Bathing Place; Half Moon bathing spot; Merrion Strand; Bull Wall; Sandycove Beach; Sandymount Strand; Seapoint; Shelley Banks; Sutton, Burrow Beach

There are slipways on the north side of Dublin Bay at Clontarf, Sutton and on the southside at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, and in Dalkey at Coliemore and Bulloch Harbours.

Dublin Bay is administered by a number of Government Departments, three local authorities and several statutory agencies. Dublin Port Company is in charge of navigation on the Bay.

Dublin Bay is approximately 70 sq kilometres or 7,000 hectares. The Bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and seven km in length east-west to its peak at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the southside of the Bay has an East and West Pier, each one kilometre long; this is one of the largest human-made harbours in the world. There also piers or walls at the entrance to the River Liffey at Dublin city known as the Great North and South Walls. Other harbours on the Bay include Bulloch Harbour and Coliemore Harbours both at Dalkey.

There are two marinas on Dublin Bay. Ireland's largest marina with over 800 berths is on the southern shore at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The other is at Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on the River Liffey close to Dublin City.

Car and passenger Ferries operate from Dublin Port to the UK, Isle of Man and France. A passenger ferry operates from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to Howth as well as providing tourist voyages around the bay.

Dublin Bay has two Islands. Bull Island at Clontarf and Dalkey Island on the southern shore of the Bay.

The River Liffey flows through Dublin city and into the Bay. Its tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac.

Dollymount, Burrow and Seapoint beaches

Approximately 1,500 boats from small dinghies to motorboats to ocean-going yachts. The vast majority, over 1,000, are moored at Dun Laoghaire Harbour which is Ireland's boating capital.

In 1981, UNESCO recognised the importance of Dublin Bay by designating North Bull Island as a Biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife. To support sustainable development, UNESCO’s concept of a Biosphere has evolved to include not just areas of ecological value but also the areas around them and the communities that live and work within these areas. There have since been additional international and national designations, covering much of Dublin Bay, to ensure the protection of its water quality and biodiversity. To fulfil these broader management aims for the ecosystem, the Biosphere was expanded in 2015. The Biosphere now covers Dublin Bay, reflecting its significant environmental, economic, cultural and tourism importance, and extends to over 300km² to include the bay, the shore and nearby residential areas.

On the Southside at Dun Laoghaire, there is the National Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as Dublin Bay Sailing Club. In the city centre, there is Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club. On the Northside of Dublin, there is Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club and Sutton Dinghy Club. While not on Dublin Bay, Howth Yacht Club is the major north Dublin Sailing centre.

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