[David1gray]

Melford getting warm reception from shippers

By Helen Murphy

GUYSBOROUGH – As the proponents of the Maher Melford Terminal work aggressively to secure agreements for the shipping of cargo through the planned container terminal, they are being met with a “high level of interest” from certain shippers, vice president of Marketing Richie Mann told The Journal during an interview Tuesday.

Mann says the response really depends on the type of product being shipped. The proponents don’t expect to be attractive to shippers of electronics, for example, because most electronics are coming from Japan and shipping across the Pacific makes more sense. However, Melford is getting a very favourable response from shippers of commodities such as textiles and footware, which are mostly coming from Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent. For these potential clients, going through the Suez Canal for the transfer of goods at Melford is an attractive option.

“We’re making progress (with shippers),” says Mann, and are encouraged by the interest in the project. He noted that the planned terminal is very much affected by global economic factors. For example, many cargo owners have their head offices in Europe and are impacted by the financial crisis that has been unfolding there.

“Had we not seen the kinds of recessions we’ve seen in recent years, this project would probably be done by now,” said Mann.

He added that because of the structure of the proposed Maher Melford Terminal, the amount of cargo needed for the project to go forward is not as significant as it would be for other locations. It could conceivably begin with only one carrier secured for a certain amount of cargo to be shipped through Melford.

http://www.guysboroughjournal.com/in...t-page-stories