Moving freight on the Thames under discussion at Freight by Water conference

Thursday 16 June 2016

Moving freight on the Thames will be the subject of a free conference to be held by Freight by Water in July. The conference will provide delegates with the latest information on water freight services in the Thames region and set out FTA proposals to improve market conditions for this crucial sector. The event takes place on 6 July on board the prestigious PS Elizabethan, boarding at Butler’s Wharf Pier, Shad Thames, London.

Freight by Water, which is run by the Freight Transport Association, is the UK’s official Short Sea Promotion Centre and has worked, since its creation in 2003, to enhance the use of short sea, coastal shipping and inland waterways for freight. It has established a diverse collection of stakeholders including all the major UK ports, either directly or via trade association memberships, inland waterway, coastal shipping operators and shippers, and has produced a number of guidance documents for customers on the benefits of water freight.

Chaired by Alex Veitch, FTA’s Head of Global Policy, the conference will include a series of presentations and panel discussions, supported by case study examples of best practice. Delegates will hear from industry leading speakers from Transport for London (TfL), the Port of London Authority and port operators in the area, along with operators, shippers and customers of water freight.

Alex Veitch said: “The Thames is a key part of London’s transport infrastructure. While water freight traffic has increased in recent years, there is room for further growth. Our event will set out how planners, public authorities, shippers and operators can work together to develop water freight services, which in turn will help manage London’s traffic congestion problems.”

Key sessions include:

• Water Freight in London by The Port of London Authority
• Transport for London’s role in the water freight sector by John Oosthuizen, Freight Strategy Planner, TfL
• Freight by Water Policy Report
• An operator’s perspective by Gerry Heward of Wood, Hall & Heward Ltd, Vice Chair of Freight by Water
• The London Construction Link (LCL) by Peter Ward, Port of Tilbury
• Planning and development by Stephen Anderson of Peter Brett Associates, Chair of Freight by Water

For further information or to book a place go to http://www.fta.co.uk/events/freight-by-water-2016.html or call 03717 11 11 11.
 
 
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