INSIDE

Pilots on duty. Workboat Juno at work on Prince Philip lock. Working with the community. Positive growth and futures for port tenants.

10

AUTUMN 2014

To ensure that Shoreham Port remains competitive, we have continued to invest in our infrastructure and facilities in order to handle the ever increasing trade. In addition, our staff have also been benefiting from extensive training and development programmes, to keep their skills sharp and to ensure that they are equipped to offer the highest level of service to our broad base of customers.

The Port therefore remains well positioned to offer our customers a unique and personal service and assist with their growth and development of opportunities.

With trade picking up, we are still very much aware of our need to remain good neighbours to our local community. Thus all possible steps are taken to minimise noise

and pollution from the Port. However, given the nature of the operation, issues will arise from time to time. Any complaints will be addressed by one of the Directors to ensure the appropriate level of response.

Our social media streams have been gaining momentum over the last few months. Please do follow us on Twitter @shoreham_port and join our LinkedIn group to ensure you are kept abreast of activities at Shoreham. Thank you to all who have contacted us with feedback on our slicker, compact newsletter and we’re delighted the changes have been so well received. We’ve got some more ideas on the horizon for inclusion in next year’s edition, but for now we hope you enjoy reading PORTlife 10.

PORTLIFE 10: INVESTMENT IN THE PORT SET TO CONTINUE

Welcome to the tenth edition of PORTlife, our biannual snapshot

of what’s been happening at Shoreham Port. We’ve seen a very

busy start to the year, with cargo volumes increasing, and with

many new building & construction projects continuing to be

announced, this has driven further growth and improvement in

the local and regional economy as well.

Rodney Lunn - Chief Executive

and we hope to build another warehouse to accommodate customer requests for more undercover storage.

There will be continued investment in staff training to ensure that every new member of our team has the skills and knowledge required to perform to the best of their ability. Our new dockworkers are trained initially on forklifts, then slowly introduced onto all of our other plant, front loaders, skid steers, telehandlers and side loaders and then finally onto the cranes. This will happen over the course of their first year of employment.

For each machine our staff qualifies on, we issue a certificate acknowledging that they are safe in the operation of the machine. This method of training in-house makes it easier to keep a check on and correct any mistakes or errors straight away. Our growing Operations Division is ever ready to take on new challenges and we look forward to an equally busy final quarter.

As well as new members of staff joining our team, we have also invested in our equipment and machinery. We have added an extra six forklifts to our current fleet, giving us a total of 30 trucks. Our forklifts use the latest technology to meet the current European emission figures. They use Exhaust Gas Regeneration (EGR) valves and Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) to ensure emissions are kept to a minimum. The forklifts also use ultra-low sulphur diesel which is to the same specification of diesel that is used on the road, with a red dye added to identify it from normal diesel.

As with modern cars, these forklifts are now manufactured using lightweight materials where possible, state-of-the-art electronics and ergonomically designed driver controls for ease of use and driver comfort. They are also designed to keep noise, emissions and breakdowns to a minimum. In addition to the eco-friendly forklifts, a new crane is on order for delivery at the beginning of 2015

1 PORTlife ¦ Autumn 2014 PORTlife ¦ Autumn 2014 2

OPERATIONS DIVISION EXPANDSAs the quantity of cargo imported into Shoreham continues to rise we have invested

in our resources to enable us to deliver a consistently high level of service to our

customers. Increases in cargoes such as timber, steel, pulp and woodchip led to the

recruitment of an additional six dockworkers, a further Workshop Fitter and a new

Operations Administrator for our Operations Division.

Alan MotterhamCommercial/Operations Director

Dispatching timber from a vessel

Another great feature of ‘Juno’ is its landing craft-style, with a ramp at the bows allowing Jordan to stand on the lowered ramp to work on the fender – ideal! Welder/Fabricator Luke Walker (yes, he was in Star Wars) is standing by with the oxy-acetylene equipment and hidden in the wheelhouse is Coxswain for the day, Mark Wilton.

‘Juno’ has only just come into service but next time we have an unprecedented set of storms like those last winter, she is certain to play a major part in the emergency works to rebuild the battered coast protection groynes and seawalls. PILOTS ON PATROL

As a pilot’s work revolves around the tide, a typical day for a pilot would be to first check the times and heights of the tide, then to check the weather forecast and determine what sort of day it is going to be.

Pilots are required for their local knowledge and extensive experience in ship handling, understanding the layout of the Port’s channels, berth depths and where the shallow ground lies. Strong winds, large tides

3 PORTlife ¦ Autumn 2014

and the possibility of fog can significantly affect the duty pilot’s decision in planning the shipping movements for the next tide.

For the pilots on duty, when the tide is over it’s usually a quick drive home for a meal, some time to relax and to get some sleep before heading back for the next tide, which may be in the early hours of the morning. Every day is different as the pilots head out to sea to meet approaching vessels.

Steering a ship is relatively easy in calm conditions, but in bad weather and strong winds, stopping, swinging and mooring the ship into tight spaces can be a complicated but rewarding challenge. A good pilot is compelled to dynamically evaluate the changing situation so he can apply his skills to the pending manoeuvre. Kevin Stewart, Assistant Harbour Master/Pilot at Shoreham Port commented “Piloting is a great profession. It is extremely satisfying when you have successfully navigated a vessel into the Port. Despite the early mornings and working in all weathers it is a job that we all feel very passionately about. Two days are never the same and I feel extremely grateful that I am able to leave my desk and set out to sea on an almost daily basis.”

JUNO - IN AT THE DEEP END

The fenders on these gates are made of ‘Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene’ (or very dense plastic to you and me) and each fender weighs about 150kg. They are not easy to hold in place and fix in position when you have to be afloat to do it, to say the least, but Juno is the ideal vessel to help make the task achievable.

Our photo shows Juno’s seven tonne capacity hydraulic derrick holding a fender in place while Engineering Technician Jordan Wyatt makes adjustments to the fixings, assisted by James Gray, our Assistant Harbour Master/Marine Works.

Our newly refurbished workboat ‘Juno’ got down to some serious work

recently with a crew drawn from the Engineering and Marine teams fixing

timber fenders back on the east end gates of the Prince Philip lock.

PORTlife ¦ Autumn 2014 4

When we have visitors at the Port we are often asked the

question, what do your pilots do?

Julian SeamanHarbour Master/Director of Marine Operations

Paul Watts helps Dave MacVicker board an incoming vessel

Tony ParkerDirector of Engineering

New Pilot Cutter Deneb

Workboat Juno in action

Thank goodness we built two new groynes last autumn opposite Carat’s Café. If we hadn’t, the beach would have disappeared as it did along the rest of the frontage and Southwick’s ‘hidden secret’ may well have been demolished by the giant waves. This spring we invested in two further groynes to keep the beach in place and the recovering beaches are proving very popular with sun and sea worshippers!

issues that arise as a result of port operations. Our Annual Public and Stakeholder’s Meeting, held in July, gave local residents and other port users the opportunity to voice their thoughts about port activities and development plans for the future. Guests were able to speak one-to-one with members of our Board and senior management team and a number of key topics were addressed throughout the evening.

5 PORTlife ¦ Autumn 2014

Shane joined the Port in April 2011 as a Stevedore before being promoted to Terminal Foreman this summer.

Shane’s typical day includes picking and loading lorries, showing customers around terminal areas, delegating tasks to the workforce and discharging ships. Shane commented on his new position “I was extremely happy to receive my promotion and take on extra responsibility at work. The Port is very busy at the moment and it is great to know that we have a strong team behind us to carry out the work and tackle new challenges.”

Shane’s new role involves him working alongside Wharf Supervisor Gary Bedson on

the Brighton Terminal. With this being the largest terminal at the Port it requires two supervisors to work together in unison to maintain an efficient operation.

Shane liaises with management regarding the amount of staff required for the following day’s work load and is responsible for investigating any problems that arise during the picking and loading of orders. Once the issue is identified Shane quickly works to resolve the problem, ensuring delays are kept to a minimum.

Outside of the hustle and bustle of port life Shane enjoys watching football and relaxing on the golf course.

DAY IN THE LIFE OF SHANE HARMER Out in all weathers, working

at heights and operating

powerful machinery… the life

of a Shoreham Port dockworker

wouldn’t be for everyone but

for Shane Harmer this is all in a

day’s work!

After the effects of the winter storms the Port has spent around £1 million on additional expenditure to recover areas affected by the high winds and crashing waves. The money is spent to ensure that the infrastructure of the Port remains intact so that commercial customers and leisure users can continue to use the Port’s facilities.

As a trust port we actively seek to work with members of our community to overcome any

PORTlife ¦ Autumn 2014 6

A LITTLE HELP FOR OUR FRIENDS

We are always looking for ways to improve our

visitor areas for the public.

Sara BassettFinance Director & Deputy Chief Executive

Paul JohnsonSafety and HR Director

06 November 2014Port Users Group

06 November 2014Local Authority Liaison Committee 22 February 2015Brighton Half Marathon 12 April 2015Brighton Marathon

07 July 2015Shoreham Port’s Annual Public & Stakeholders Meeting

Please see our website for the latest details and venue information at www.shoreham-port.co.uk and follow us on Twitter for regular event updates @shoreham_port

DIARY OF

EVENTS

DID YOU KNOW?

Apart from Juno, all of the Port’s workboats are named after bright stars, Vega, Altair, Capella, and Antares. Deneb was aptly named after a first magnitude star and is the brightest star in the Northern Cross and in the Port!

Local residents raised concerns at the Public Meeting about road safety on Church Road in Portslade, which is the main HGV route to and from the Port. Since this has been highlighted we have shown our full support to a road safety campaign, with the aim of introducing a zebra crossing on Church Road to improve in particular, the safety for children walking to St. Peter’s Primary School.

Cheque presentation at St. Peter’s Primary School

St. Peter’s Primary School Visit to the Port

BUSINESS GROWTHFOR PORT TENANTS

Peter DaviesDevelopment Director

provides space for small local businesses and start-ups and we are delighted to be a case study of success!”

In addition to our thriving property portfolio, one of our key aims is to reduce our carbon footprint and we are working on a wide range of initiatives relating to energy, travel, waste recycling and water use. The main focus so far has been on reducing our reliance on non-renewable energy, whilst also cutting our use of energy overall. This not only helps the environment, but also reduces our costs.

Shoreham Port, Nautilus House, 90-100 Albion Street, Southwick, Brighton, BN42 4ED

T: +44 (0) 1273 598100 F: +44 (0) 1273 592492 E: info@shoreham-port.co.uk W: www.shoreham-port.co.uk Twitter: @shoreham_port

CONTACT DETAILS

Tenants at Hove Enterprise Centre ‘Gear4DJs’ have expanded

significantly during their time at the Port. Managing Director Olly

Slator said “We have had a great three years at the Port.”

“It has been a perfect starting point to establish ourselves and expand - which has necessitated a move to premises ten times larger and doubling our staff. The concept behind Hove Enterprise Centre is that it

Solar energy visit from MP Mike Weatherley and MP Greg Barker

We now have over 2,000 solar panels installed on our buildings in partnership with Brighton Energy Co-operative. This is a sizable investment in green energy and more is planned. We are also working with Fine Energy on developing wind turbines and we are looking to erect two medium sized Norvento turbines to supply our pump house, which is our biggest user of electricity. Public consultation on the idea is planned for later this year.

As well as generating green electricity we are carrying out an energy audit of all our operations and identifying efficiencies such as the use of LED lighting. On travel, we are implementing a plan to promote smarter choices for both business trips and journeys to work and have already erected bike shelters for staff and tenants, with more shelters on the way.

We are promoting investment in greener buildings and Edgeley Green Power’s new heat and power plant will be the first to have a ‘green lease’ where they are committed to achieving the highest possible building standards.

T E N A N T SO N T H E

P O R T