Milford Mercury | Local News, Sport & Entertainment

Ted unruffled over controversial port plans

From the archive, first published Thursday 19th Jan 2006.

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to shake-up the way ports operate is unlikely to have a major impact in Milford Haven.

There are fears that the EU Port Services Directive, which aims to increase efficiency and competition, could lead to job cuts at Welsh ports as cheap labour floods the market.

Under the directive - which Welsh MEPs have vowed to fight - port owners would have to allow other operators to use their facilities to create competition.

That would allow shipping firms to use independent contractors to load and unload vessels, sparking fears of falling safety standards and the loss of local jobs.

But Ted Sangster, chief executive of Milford Haven Port Authority, is confident that the directive, if implemented, would have very limited impact here.

Mr Sangster said: "This proposed directive could have an influence on Milford Haven in the way in which services and contracts have to be handled - essentially only given through a competitive tendering process - and ships more able to provide their own services rather than using those provided by third parties.

"However, we do not believe it will have any significant effect as many of the services such as tugs, lineboats etc are competitively tendered now anyway and unlike some other UK ports we do not restrict ships to using our own stevedoring services but allow them to contract with others if they wish."

But Mr Sangster acknowledged that any attempt to change the way pilots are controlled could be of concern.

He told the Mercury: "Pilotage is a slightly different matter as we would resist any moves to remove our role as authorising, employing and deploying pilots.

"This could potentially be of concern but as the whole proposal appears to be doomed anyway because of resistance from unions in other European countries it is probably not something to get worked up about anyway."

Dockers from across Europe joined a demonstration in Strasbourg on Monday before the proposals were debated by MEPs.

MEP Eluned Morgan said: "UK ports are efficient and competitive. These proposals are completely unnecessary and we should send them packing."

This is the second time that the directive has been proposed. The original bill was kicked out by the European Parliament in 2003.

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