Freight capacity provided on UK short sea freight ro-ro, lo-lo and channel tunnel services has grown by more than three million units (24 per cent) since 2000, according to the ninth annual report by Peter Baker of PRB Associates.
UK short sea capacity now stands at 15.6 million trailer / forty foot equivalent container units serving five distinct market sectors; near continent, channel (including Eurotunnel), Irish Sea, Scandinavia and the Baltic.
The ro-ro mode provides the greatest share of UK short sea capacity (77 per cent) with the lo-lo mode contributing ten per cent of capacity. The Channel Tunnel shuttle and through train services provide the remaining 13 per cent of UK short sea capacity.
P&O Ferries is the market leader employing nearly 24 per cent of the total UK market capacity on a range of North Sea, Channel and Irish Sea routes. The Port of Dover handles more capacity than any other UK port (27.4 per cent).
