One of the most modern shipping terminals in the world, Liverpool2, has been officially opened at the Port of Liverpool by the Secretary of State for International Trade, Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP.

The investment cost £400 million for Peel Ports, which is one of the biggest port operators in the UK.

It will provide a state of the art ocean gateway for UK exporters and importers with canal, rail and road connections that link directly to the heart of the UK mainland, which will access a catchment of over 35 million people, almost 58% of the UK’s population.

The new deep water facility will complement the current Royal Seaforth Container Terminal at the existing Port of Liverpool, with each terminal having the capacity to handle around one million containers each year.

The port is already the biggest transatlantic port in the country with a 45% market share and is the only major container port in the north or west of the UK.

Liverpool2 is one of the biggest private sector infrastructure schemes in the UK and was developed in response to changing trading patterns and shipping industry trends towards the use of ‘mega’ ocean-going container ships. Liverpool2 will now be able to handle the biggest cargo vessels in the world.

Peel Ports CEO, Mark Whitworth, commented: “Today marks the beginning of a new era for the Port of Liverpool. Our investment will help global shippers to transport cargo more efficiently to their end destination with lower costs, congestion and carbon emissions.

“Liverpool is in the right location, providing state-of-the art facilities and technology, and offers a real competitive advantage with a shorter supply chain and providing an all-water route right to the heart of the UK via the Manchester Ship Canal. Liverpool 2 will create a new trading gateway in the UK.”