Port of Tyne is operating as usual today, with passenger, cargo and container ships arriving and trucks delivering goods across the UK safely and on time.
This week the Port expects the arrival of vessels from across the world, some from even colder places than the North East. The cruise ship Norröna, bringing 1,000 people from the Faroe Islands to the region on a Christmas shopping trip, is due tomorrow (Tuesday Nov 30th) while the MS Orient Trader arrives from Louisiana on Wednesday (December 1st) with a cargo of wood pellets for the power industry. The ferries from Ijmuiden, Amsterdam are arriving and sailing on time from the Port of Tyne International Passenger Terminal, North Shields daily.
Staff at the Port at South and North Shields have managed to get into work from as far afield as Amble, Middlesbrough and Guisborough - some even staying overnight in local hotels, to ensure cargoes and containers get unloaded safely and transferred onto their destination, and that passengers have a smooth arrival. The Port's 63 truck drivers have been out on the roads delivering essential goods for manufacturers, retailers and business customers, often helping police rescue stranded vehicles on their way.
"It's our business to keep things moving and we take a pride in getting people and goods to their destinations safely and on time," said Andrew Moffat, Chief Executive Officer for Port of Tyne. "We are distributing goods for the supply chain for manufacturers such as Nissan, and for major retailers for whom deliveries at this time of year are crucial for their business. We are well prepared for adverse weather and we'll continue to do our utmost to ensure all of our passengers and our businesses can operate as near to normal as possible."