News
UK no deal plans to hit ports
TRADE negotiations between the UK and EU continued in London last week.
The talks, aimed at reaching agreement on the future relationship between the two after December 31, appear no further forward. The EU has, however, significantly upped the ante between Westminster and Brussels.
The EU announced it will impose full border customs checks from January next year. The chief trading port between the UK and Europe (to Dominic Raab’s horrified surprise in his former post as Brexit Secretary) is Dover.
If the EU insists on customs checks on goods entering from the UK, there will be delays in Calais. Delays in Calais will inevitably lead to delays at Dover. Because of the physical constraints of the Port at Dover and the relatively poor road transport infrastructure leading to it, delays at Dover could lead to severe traffic problems on the town’s approach roads and also on the wider road network in England’s south east.
The Government, to howls of anguish from Conservative MPs in the south of England, is already preparing significant traffic control measures and advancing plans for a massive lorry park in Ashford, Kent, which voted 60-40 to leave the EU and knew what it was getting.
AS IN DOVER…
The chief ferry ports in Wales are in Holyhead, Fishguard, and Pembroke Dock: all of them will be affected by the new customs procedure, which runs a coach and horses through the Prime Minister’s guarantee of no border in the Irish Sea.
Stena has already expressed concern about the limited space available to it to hold lorries at Fishguard and Holyhead. Former border check areas in Holyhead were built over and physical constraints at Fishguard militate against further expansion there.
The situation at Pembroke Dock is slightly different, in that there remains room to expand the holding facilities due to the Royal Dockyard’s physical footprint.
Any delays, however, would have a continuing knock-on effect on the speed at which freight could be carried from the Port without a seamless customs procedure.
PM SAID NO CHECKS
Last December, PM Boris Johnson disavowed the content of a Treasury document which said border checks on goods transported from the island of Ireland would be necessary.
He claimed that under the deal he negotiated no checks were necessary and the expert report was ‘wrong’.
The Government has long since reneged on promises regarding trade between Northern Ireland and the UK mainland and now the EU is ensuring Mr Johnson’s government sticks to the agreement it negotiated, presumably in good faith, or leaves without a deal.
“Government-commissioned research for the Port of Dover carried out by University College London concluded a 70-second questioning and inspection of lorries entering Britain would lead to six-day-long queues,” said WTO Director Keith Rockwell.
“UK Government analysis says average trade costs will rise by 13% (10% on non-tariff barriers) and they predict a 37% decline in trade volume.”
Mr Rockwell also pointed out that the WTO would have a say over any attempt to strike an interim deal with the EU ahead of thrashing out final details on tariff agreements and market access.
A CHANGE OF TUNE
Until last weekend, the Westminster Government insisted that claims there would be customs checks were so much hot air. However, over the weekend, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove appeared on television, on radio, and in print, to set out how the Government proposes to tackle an entirely foreseeable problem of its own making.
Having engaged in fanciful suggestions that the UK would use non-existent technological solutions to cross-border trade, the meat finally met the metal as the Government faced up to the outcome of its failure to abide by the terms of an agreement it signed only last October.
Mr Gove promised £700m to address the issue. It was not clear whether the whole of the £700m was new money or whether the jobs the investment is supposed to create were already accounted for in Westminster’s so-far-failed attempt to recruit Border Patrol staff. Some of the money for ports’ infrastructure had already either been spent or announced previously.
Whatever the answer, the problems are clear.
Goods will pass more slowly through ports with knock-on effects for the UK’s supply chain and manufacturers. Haulage companies face significant problems in complying with the limits on drivers’ working time if delays prove intractable. Increased haulage costs and bureaucracy will, inevitably, lead to price rises for products’ end users and ordinary consumers.
HALF-BAKED DEAL NOT DONE
While the Prime Minister spent much of November and December’s General Election campaign trumpeting his ‘over-ready’ deal, since the election his government has tried to distance itself as much as possible from what it agreed upon with the EU in October 2019. Mr Johnson’s deal now appears not so much ‘oven-ready’ as half-baked.
The current suggestion is a so-called pre-lodgement model, where customs declarations are submitted electronically in advance, before a truck is allowed to enter the port and board a ferry.
Companies have to get a reference number from a new and untested IT platform which, with fewer than six months to go to the transition period’s end, is still being developed.
The UK Government’s record in the procurement and delivery of major IT projects is un-encouraging.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK Government has given traders a six-month grace period on complying with new red tape for EU imports. However, the EU has said it will impose full controls on exports from the U.K. as soon as it completes its split from the bloc, due on Jan. 1.
INDUSTRY REACTS
Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “RHA members, and traders in general, need clarity on how they will be expected to run their businesses from January 2021.
“What worries us is that at the moment, the UK hasn’t hired anything like the number of customs agents needed to process the new form-filling.
“The UK is very slow off the starting blocks on hiring thousands of staff to do this vital work. If we don’t tackle this fast it’s a recipe for disruption to the supply chain post-transition which affects us all.
“Even if the new agents are hired trained by 31 December, firms still don’t know what forms will be required, how they should be completed, who should complete which forms, or where they will need to be sent.
“This is vital information that firms need to have as soon as possible, and should already have received if they’re to have enough time to prepare for the new trading arrangements with the EU.
“The RHA is again repeating its demands for clarity from the Government, who simply must provide this vital information if the UK supply chain is to continue to operate smoothly from January 1, 2021.”
Richard Ballantyne, Chief Executive of the British Ports Association, welcomed Mr Gove’s announcement of further invest, but added: “Borders infrastructure of course means there will be some impact on freight and potentially flows of traffic. We therefore pressing for the pragmatic enforcement of such processes so that trucks and cargo are not held up at our ports. Of course there is still a huge amount to prepare for and operators across the freight and logistics sectors will need to understand what will be required and what this will mean for their businesses.
“Port operators are keen to see the detail of our future borders arrangements. The Government is setting out its new Border Operating Model and a new publicity campaign for the freight sector and we look forward to discussing these with officials.
“About half of our trade is with the EU and so this is why we need to get the arrangements right.”
Business
Largest Welsh port appoints communications and marketing director
THE Port of Milford Haven has announced that Anna Malloy has been appointed as its first Communications and Marketing Director.
Anna is appointed to the Senior Management Team and this new role will be pivotal to the delivery of the Port’s long-term growth and diversification agenda and in ensuring that its obligations to coastal communities, future generations and to nature are honoured.
Tom Sawyer, CEO of the Port of Milford Haven, congratulated Anna and said: “Anna has a key role to play in our future and it’s doubly lovely to see ‘port-grown-talent’ flourish and for colleagues to progress up through our organisation.”
Anna will lead across the public affairs, marketing, sustainability, media relations, and community relations activities. She will therefore play a central role in the development of new and existing partnerships, including the Celtic Freeport, the Milford Haven Energy Cluster and the Celtic Collection; sitting alongside the delivery of major projects like Milford Waterfront and the Pembroke Dock Renewables Terminal.
“This is such an exciting opportunity. I am proud to be joining the Senior Management Team and look forward to delivering our ambitious strategy,” commented Anna Malloy, Communications and Marketing Director.
She added: “The Port of Milford Haven is playing a key role in the transition of South-West Wales’ economy to a decarbonised future. A beautiful place, with great people, that I am privileged to call my home.”
Community
First deadlines met following enforcement action at landfill site
THE first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire have been met, one week on following the issuing of further enforcement action by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
NRW issued site operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on Thursday 18 April.
This outlined a series of actions to be completed by specified deadlines to address the ongoing odour and landfill gas emission issues at the site.
During the latest site inspection which took place yesterday (Thursday 25 April), NRW was able to confirm that three actions have been completed – two ahead of the imposed deadlines.
The operator has installed 24 pin wells, which have been driven into the waste in the lower section of the cell identified as causing the odour issues (Cell 8). These have also been connected to the landfill gas extraction system.
Capping material has been placed over the same area of the cell and welded to the basal liner to encapsulate gas in this area, allowing for extraction by the pin wells and four horizontal gas wells, which were previously installed.
While progress is being made, NRW officers detected strong landfill gas odours during an offsite assessment on Wednesday (24 April) in Poyston Cross and Crundale. Weather conditions this week appear to have led to a wider spread of landfill gas to surrounding areas, not solely linked to wind direction.
NRW odour assessments follow a set route around the landfill, with designated survey spots, identified to enable consistency of assessment and reporting. This is essential to ensure the regulatory and enforcement responses where there is offsite odour attributed to the landfill is robust.
The remaining Regulation 36 Notice actions will require significant effort by RML to ensure they are completed on time and NRW continues to closely monitor progress.
Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW, met with representatives from NRW’s South West Industry Regulation Team and Pembrokeshire County Council during a visit to Pembrokeshire on Thursday 25 April.
Clare Pillman, Chief Executive, Natural Resources Wales, said: “While visiting the area surrounding Withyhedge Landfill with our regulatory team and partners from Pembrokeshire County Council this week, I was able to see and hear for myself just what people living and working in these communities have had to endure as a result of the odour issues from the site.
“What they have been experiencing is unacceptable and our officers have been working tirelessly alongside colleagues at Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator gets this under control as quickly as possible. While it was clear that a lot of work has been done on site, there is still more to do to ensure they address all the actions set out in the enforcement notice.
“We want to make sure that happens, and are exploring every option together with Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator works quickly to resolve the issues which are clearly affecting the quality of life of people in these communities.”
Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations, said: “While we are reassured that action is being carried out by the operators at Withyhedge Landfill with a sense of urgency, we are continuing our regulatory presence on site to ensure the operator’s focus remains on tackling the issues that will address the continuing odour issues being experienced by surrounding communities.
“We will be closely monitoring progress over the coming days and weeks to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by 14 May. If they are not met, we will pursue additional enforcement action where appropriate.”
NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge or by calling 0300 065 3000.
Please report odours at the time of them being experienced, rather than historically. Reporting odours in a timely manner will help guide the work of partners more effectively, particularly in the further development of air quality monitoring.
Community
Milford Haven’s war memorial is 100 years old today
THE Milford Haven War Memorial, a significant landmark commemorating the fallen heroes of World Wars and subsequent conflicts, marks its 100th anniversary today.
The memorial, which was inaugurated on April 26, 1924 by the Venerable the Archdeacon of St Davids, remains a poignant symbol of sacrifice and hope for peace.
Constructed from 1923 to 1924, the memorial consists of a striking assembly of pink granite and white marble statues that were sculpted in Italy.
Representing the Army, Navy, and Air Force, these life-size statues stand on an unpolished three-step plinth below a main pedestal. A soldier faces west and a sailor east, with an airman atop the central column, surveying the skies.
The names and inscriptions of the fallen are carved into the polished granite shaft, meticulously supervised by surveyor J.P. Morgan with contractor E. Jones of Llanybydder.
Located on Hamolton Terrace with views over the Milford Haven waterway, the memorial is a freestanding structure in an external, roadside setting. It features a serviceman/woman sculpture in marble and Portland stone, set on a concrete base surrounded by railings. Inscribed plaques honour those who served in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and the conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2009.
The memorial lists the names of 239 men who perished in the First World War on its polished grey granite faces. The Second World War claimed 157 lives from this community, whose names are recorded on bronze plaques around the base. Notably, the memorial also honours one serviceman who fell during the Korean War and another who was killed in Iraq in 2007.
The Milford Haven War Memorial stands not only as a historical monument but also as an enduring reminder of the costs of war and the community’s ongoing commitment to peace.
As the town reflects on a century of remembrance, the hope remains that future generations will continue to cherish and learn from the lessons of the past.
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