As anybody who has read my blogs will know, I love airports. I’ve been thinking recently, however, that we’re also very lucky here in the North West of England to have great port facilities which move our goods efficiently and safely to their destinations.
I declare a bit of an interest here as somebody who has their sea legs. I recall one occasion when I was on a cruise with my wife and we hit some force 10 winds. The ship was taking a bit of a battering, my wife took to her cabin but I joined a few hearty souls for a good bacon and egg breakfast. I’m lucky in that respect, but we are all lucky indeed to have a great port like Liverpool in our area.
I’ve just read about “port-centric distribution”. The people who coined this phrase could not have a more apt example of it than Liverpool with its close proximity to a large conurbation, and an industrial base with very strong manufacturing industry. Good sailors too, and we hope they have their sea legs!
I’ve also read that Merseyside’s maritime sector has brought over £150m of inward investment to the region via Maersk, CMA CGM and the Liverpool Fresh Produce Terminal to name but a few. This is a reminder that, not only was our region’s history shaped by the Port of Liverpool, but our future prosperity will also be enhanced. We should celebrate what this port can do for us as a vital cog in the wheel which ensures our world class products are shipped around the globe.
We need more manufacturing in the region, we need to export more to rebalance the economy, but we absolutely need all our maritime skills to help us achieve that recovery.