Liverpool will become a permanent call on the 2M shipping line alliance's TA4 service, which connects ports in northern Europe with those on the US east coast.
The TA4 service begain calling at the Port of Liverpool on a temporary basis in July 2018 due to continued disruption at the Port of Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port.
2M's TA2 service, which connects northern Europe and the US east coast, also began calling temporarily at Liverpool in July, but there has been no update on whether this arrangement is to be made permanent.
Disruption arose when the upgrade of Felixstowe’s terminal operating system (TOS) proved problematic.
Reduced productivity at the port’s container terminals had a knock-on effect on the port’s intermodal connections with road and rail, causing significant delays.
“The south-east has congested ports, an acute haulier shortage and major concerns about the impact of Brexit on continental trade. The logistics business is naturally risk-averse, especially in these unprecedented times, but it’s clear that the rewards are there for those prepared to take bold moves,” Mark Whitworth, chief executive of Liverpool's port operator Peel Ports, said in a release on Wednesday.
"The change we made on this service has worked for us and our customers so it makes business sense to continue it," said Dan Everitt, managing director of MSC UK, which has operated services from Liverpool since 2001.
When the problems at Felixstowe first arose in June 2018, several of Maersk and MSC's ultra-large containerships were forced to divert to London Gateway port on the Thames estuary.
Other 2M vessels were forced to omit their Felixstowe port calls entirely.
The TA4 service is currently used to export UK cargo such as food produce and retail goods, but is also attracting interest for trade in manufacturing and industrial goods, Maersk said on its website in 2018.
TradeWinds has contacted the Port of Felixstowe for further comment.
