 Teesport is one of the largest in Europe |
A ports operator is pushing for a "northern gateway" on Teesside after reporting a rise in container volumes and profitability. PD Ports wants a deep-sea container terminal development at Teesport which it says would provide a boost for the economy in the north-east of England.
It said it had been encouraged by interest from shipping lines and terminal operators.
In September, Asda signed a deal with the company for a �20m import centre.
In its half-year results, load-on, load-off container volumes at Teesport increased by 7% following the addition of new feeder services which carry products unloaded from larger vessels elsewhere.
Favourable outlook
More shipping lines were also attracted to the existing deep water facilities at Teesport, which is made up of the ports of Tees and Hartlepool.
Amid strong growth at Teesport, PD's ports division achieved half-year revenues growth of 5% to �57.8m while profits were up 13% to �13.5m.
Growth was also driven by a much better performance in logistics-related operations following a business reorganisation.
The company said its outlook for the second half remained favourable, although the ports business would experience slower growth because of the comparative impact of contracts won in the prior financial period.
PD also operates a range of port and shipping services throughout the UK, particularly on the Humber.
Across the group, it achieved a 3% rise in operating profits to �18.1m, while bottom-line profits of �6.4m compared with losses of �1.7m a year earlier, when figures were hit by exceptional items.
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