LARGEST TIMBER IMPORT IN LIVING MEMORY FOR IPSWICH
The Port of Ipswich, owned and operated by Associated British Ports (ABP), has handled one of the largest shipments of timber in its history. Some 9,400 cu m of Canadian timber were discharged last month at Ipswich’s Cliff Quay, part of ABP’s extensive site on the east bank of the River Orwell.
The vessel used for the service, m.v. Orfea, was purchased by Buchanan Lumber Sales Inc. specifically for this new enterprise, and it is anticipated that she will make regular calls at Ipswich. The timber originated from Ontario in Canada, with the cargo being loaded at Thunder Bay on the shore of Lake Superior. Over a third of the timber was pre-treated in Thunder Bay before shipment.
Stephen Pitt, Managing Director of the shipment’s recipients, Price & Pierce Softwoods Ltd, explained the merits of carrying out this pre-treatment at source: “We are able to transport pre-treated timber directly from the quayside to our customers, and so deliveries can be much quicker, with no need for an intermediate treatment process in the UK.”
Alastair MacFarlane, ABP Port Manager, East Anglian Ports, commented,
“This new trade through Ipswich demonstrates the wide array of products that we are able to handle at the port. The recent arrival of new container traffic, an imminent return of a ro-ro ferry service, and handling of timber on this scale all require very different skills, but our staff are more than capable of dealing with these assorted challenges.”
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