Campaigners want to see Clydeport nationalised in a bid to bring all port and harbours on the River Clyde into public ownership
Nationalising Scottish port could ‘give Scotland a bad reputation’, trade body warns
A national trade body has warned campaigners that nationalising Clydeport could “give Scotland a bad reputation” and scare off potential investors.
Campaigners are calling for Clydeport to be nationalised in a bid to bring all ports and harbours on the River Clyde into public ownership. However, the British Ports Association has now written to the Scottish Parliament to say any attempts to nationalise the port could harm the industry.
Peel Ports Group owns Clydeport and acts as the harbour authority on the river, but local campaigners say the group has made a “complete shambles” of one of Scotland’s biggest assets.
They want to see Peel Ports revoked as the harbour authority and for a municipal port authority to be established in its place.
The group is also calling for a compulsory purchase order to be issued for Inchgreen Dry Dock, saying it has been left to lie empty.
The organisation has submitted a petition to Holyrood calling on the government to use both the Harbours Act 1964 and the Marine Navigation Act 2013 to revoke Peel Ports as the harbour authority for the River Clyde.
They also want to see Inchgreen Dry Dock bought by the government, saying it could be used to service and maintain the CalMac ferry fleet.
However, in a statement the British Ports Association defended Peel Ports, saying it was a “successful” port operator with a “strong track record of investing in infrastructure”.
The association said: “Ports cannot be political footballs, kicked in different directions by stakeholders. Any move by central government or stakeholders to forcibly change ports and compulsorily seize assets would give Scotland a bad reputation, scare off potential investors and tar the ports industry in uncertainty.”
It added: “Mechanisms such as the forcible transfer or compulsory purchase of port assets would completely undermine confidence in our sector and be viewed with much negativity across Scotland, the UK and even internationally.
“We would strongly defend our sector’s independence and warn against any direction from central government.
“Forcibly seizing ports or assets risks damaging confidence in our sector and would threaten or undermine investment across Scotland, especially if the country is not seen as a stable place to invest in long-term infrastructure.”
The Scottish Government previously said it had no plans to nationalise Clydeport, despite separately nationalising the Ferguson Marine shipyard only a few miles away in Port Glasgow back in 2019.
Those behind the petition, however, say they will not be deterred in their fight to get Clydeport nationalised.
Robert Buirds said: “As expected, the British Ports Association would not bite the hand that feeds it, and therefore defends the privatisation model and its independence. Market-led independence does not address the particular needs of the country or its economy, and is totally focused on its margins and shareholders.”
Peel Ports said it had invested “multi-millions” into a number of different operations on the west coast, which have provided hundreds of jobs, including £25 million on freight cranes at Greenock Port and £19.2m on cruise berthing and passenger facilities at Greenock Ocean Terminal.
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
OTHER NEWS
Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ...
Read more »
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »