Port of Dover expertise goes global

The Port of Dover, together with its international partners Mott MacDonald and Buchan Group, has announced that it has been successful in securing a significant contract to guide the major future development of three ports managed by Taiwan International Ports Corporation Ltd (TIPC).

Having established strong relationships with TIPC, cemented through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2011, the Port of Dover's expertise in port management and port development has been showcased both in Taiwan and in the UK. The contract is a clear recognition of the global reputation that the Port has now achieved as a valuable consultancy partner when requiring a team made up of the best international experts.

Tim Waggott, Chief Executive, Port of Dover, said: "This is a fantastic achievement for the Port team, its partners, and for the global reputation of the British maritime industry. Moreover, it gives our staff an incredible platform for career development and reflects the vision that we have for our community in providing new and inspiring opportunities."

As the consultancy business develops and Dover's port expertise is required elsewhere as well as still in Dover, this will lead to the creation of high quality jobs at Dover with exciting prospects for all those associated with the Port. This is a further strand of the Port's drive for transformation, nurturing talent in Dover that then delivers expertise all around the world with Dover's name becoming synonymous with opportunity, quality and excellence. In turn, this will contribute towards inward investment as Dover becomes a hub for maritime expertise, furthering the Port's ability to act as a catalyst for regeneration.

Beating off stiff competition, the partners also received support from UKTI (the British Trade & Cultural Office in Taiwan) in promoting British expertise in Taiwan.

Chris Wood, Director, BTCO said: "This is a great boost to Britain's international reputation in port planning and with such a strong partnership evident between Mott MacDonald, Buchan Group and the Port of Dover, goes to show that with the right expertise and our support, the UK can play a major role in global maritime affairs."

The contract is focused on carrying out master planning activities for the three Taiwanese ports of Keelung, Kaohsiung and Anping in order to promote the ports' domestic and international passenger transport and tourism services, including the construction and modernisation of passenger terminal facilities.

Glen Curry, Mott MacDonald said: "This is a very exciting contract to have won and with the specialist skills and experience of the Port of Dover supporting our port planning and engineering expertise, we are confident we can plan great things for Taiwan's ports."

The partners will conduct research and analysis on the location and characteristics of Keelung Port, Kaohsiung Port and Anping Port in order to carry out a detailed investigation of possible domestic and foreign development projects. They will then produce the final master plan presenting the most appropriate developments, their location and size, configuration and the types of industry suited to the ports.