PD Ports has helped one of the UKs leading retailers, ASDA and its George clothing range, save 1,265,459 road miles. Thats enough to make almost three trips to the moon and back.
This significant saving in road miles has been achieved through the success of the Ports Logical Link shipping service, which launched in January 2009
Logical Link is a coastal feeder container shipping service offering a next day connection between Felixstowe and Teesport. This service operates three sailings per week, (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) loading in Felixstowe on day one and unloading in Teesport the following morning.
In its first year of operation, the Logical Link service has reached its goal of reducing operational costs for customers and minimising the adverse impact that road transport has on the environment.
By utilising the Logical Link service, ASDA, which opened the first portcentric import centre at Teesport in 2006, has considerably reduced the volume of ASDA trucks on the already over-burdened UK road network. This has led to a marked reduction in its overall supply chain costs and a significant cut in CO2 emissions of some 2,200 tonnes. This is the equivalent volume of CO2 generated by 284 passengers on a return flight from Newcastle to Sydney, Australia.**
By locating an import centre at Teesport to serve its northern based stores and consumers, ASDA has significantly reduced the movement of trucks on UK roads, which have been carrying goods purchased in the Far East, brought by sea to a southern UK port and then previously road hauled up to the North.
Frans Calje, md, unitised for PD Ports, said: "We are delighted to see ASDA saving further significant road miles, whilst improving its green credentials as a result of the Logical Link service. There is without doubt, a continued and vital need to reduce the amount of freight transported by road from Southern UK ports but which is destined for the North of the UK.
All calculations use mileage and CO2 measurements provided by the Global Policy Institute report, June 08.