Press Release

Shipping Minister speaks out for water freight at Sea and Water business event

Tuesday 20 March 2007

Dr Stephen Ladyman, Shipping Minister,
Dr Heather Leggate, Executive Director, Sea and Water
and Bo Lerenius, President Sea and Water.

Dr Stephen Ladyman MP, the Minister for Shipping, argued passionately for freight transport on inland waterways and coastal routes at a dinner attended by many leading British businesses last week (14 March).

The dinner, hosted in Parliament by Gwyn Prosser MP, was organised by Sea and Water, the water freight promotional body supported by the industry and by Government.  The aim was to promote water freight amongst potential users.

Senior figures from the retail, energy, financial services, construction, waste and aggregate sectors heard Dr Ladyman say that the right approach and the right information the potential for water freight would be realised:

“If you can capture your customer’s imagination, if you can show that short sea and coastal shipping provides an environmentally friendly way to avoid the costs of road congestion, then this sector will be extremely well placed to win far more business.”

Dr Ladyman urged businesses to support Sea and Water, with which he said he would be working very closely on this important issue.

Gavin Devine, one of the Directors of Sea and Water, welcomed Dr Ladyman’s comments:

“Sea and Water is actively promoting water freight to businesses as an economically competitive and environmentally sustainable transport mode.  We want to bring together water freight companies and potential users to help shift freight from road to water.”

“We are very grateful to the Minister for his commitment to our sector.  Sea and Water will be working closely with him and his officials over the coming months as we redouble our efforts to promote the transport of freight by inland waterways and coastal shipping.”

The dinner included a discussion of the merits of water freight, including that it is a cost effective transport solution, and that it is environmentally sustainable – water freight emits between a quarter and a fifth of the carbon per tonne kilometre of road transport.