News and Events

The Marine and Coastal Access Bill was given Royal Assent on 12 November 2009. The Act, which was a substantially sized piece of legislation, introduces a new marine planning system, establishes a Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and streamlines the marine and fisheries licensing systems. It will also link up a long-distance public footpath around the English coast.

The BPA has prepared a ports industry briefing on the Bill and this can be found here.

The government announced its draft National Policy Statement for ports on 10 November, which is open to public consultation until 15 February 2010. The documents are very much focused on planning and the way in which both the Infrastructure Planning Commission, which will deal with a relatively small number of very large projects, and the Marine Management Organisation, which is likely to deal with the majority of applications, will handle consents.

The consultation only applies to England and Wales, however the forecasts are for the UK as a whole and would therefore have a bearing on developments throughout the country.

The overall message from the government is a positive one. Embedded in the planning process is an “official” acceptance that considerable long term expansion of port capacity is needed. The ports Statement, was published at the same time as the policy statement for energy infrastructure.

The Commons Transport Select Committee will be scrutinising the proposals and the BPA will be providing evidence to their inquiry.

The Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) and accompanying guidance has been updated. The DfT will place greater emphasis on regular port input to keep the PMSC and Guide to Good Practice relevant and up to date.

The PMSC applies to all harbour authorities in the UK that have statutory powers and duties. It was developed with input from a wide range of interested parties in the ports sector.

The PMSC Guide to Good Practice supplements the Code and contains more detailed guidance on a number of issues relevant to harbour authorities. It is designed to provide general guidance and examples of how a harbour authority could meet its commitments in terms of compliance with the Code. This Guide should not be viewed as the only means of complying with the Code and for some harbour authorities, it may not be the best means of achieving compliance.

The refreshed PMSC document can be found here while the Guide to Good Practice is available here.

The recently formed BPA/UKMPG joint Welsh Ports Group met in Holyhead on 21 October. The Welsh Assembly Government were present and a number of topical issues were discussed including the Welsh National Transport Plan, the Climate Change Strategy for Wales and the inspection activity of VOSA at ports. We also agreed to produce a Welsh ports industry value brochure and will be in contact with Welsh members about the content shortly.

Welsh Affairs Committee inquiry into ports

The Commons Welsh Affairs Committee has also recently reported on its inquiry into the Welsh Ports Industry and members of the group gave evidence before the Committee over the summer. In its report the Committee highlighted the value of the ports industry and suggested that there are opportunities to develop the Welsh cruise industry further. The report can be found here.

Municipal Ports Review refresh

Together with the Department for Transport the BPA has been discussing the refresh and expansion of the Municipal Ports Review guidance document with all the Welsh local authority managed ports. The 2006 review offers guidance on corporate governance and management structures, and is being refreshed following the recent update of the equivalent guidance for the Trust Port sector.

The Department for Transport have published the second edition of Modernising Trust Ports document. The revised document applies to trusts of all sizes in England and Wales however the DfT has suggested that other types of ports should also follow its recommendations.

This guidance represents a code of good practice. In Modernising Trust Ports the government states that all trust ports should review their governance arrangements against the standards set out within.

The first edition was published in 2000 by the then Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and followed a review of the trust ports sector that focused principally on corporate governance and accountability.

The new document includes sections on stakeholders and beneficiaries, annual reporting and performance indicators, and it can be found here.

The South West Regional Ports Association and the British Ports Association launched a new ‘South West Ports – Gateways for Growth’ brochure in Torquay on 1 July 2009.

The Associations jointly produced this brochure to outline the economic value and role that our industry plays within the South West. Not only does it provide an overview of the types of port and harbour related activity in the region, it also highlights some of the challenges facing the industry in the future. The brochure can be found here:

South West Ports – 'Gateways for Growth’

If you would like a hard copy please contact us on 020 7260 1780 or e-mail us.

The BPA’s response to Light Dues consultation is attached.

The Merchant Shipping (Light Dues) (Amendment) Regulations 2009.pdf

The Scottish Marine Bill has been introduced to Scottish Parliament. The Bill will be scrutinized by the Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Environment Committee before entering the next Parliamentary stages later in the year. Further details can be found here.

The ‘One Voice’ maritime network, of which the BPA is a key member, has written to the Transport Secretary responding to the DfT’s proposals to increase light dues substantially. The response is attached below.

As well as the BPA, One Voice includes the Baltic Exchange, the Chamber of Shipping, the Federation Council of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, Maritime London and the UK Major Ports Group as members.

The BPA’s response to the DfT’s consultation on the revised Trust Port Guidance is attached.