Inland Waterborne Freight

Manchester Ship Canal freight

The Manchester Ship Canal is owned by Peel Ports along with the Port of Liverpool. This will contribute towards sustainable distribution through development of inland multi-modal sites connected by road, rail and sea.

There are various port facilities located along the canal which handle a range of goods. The Runcorn dock handles primarily breakbulk and bulk traffic while other facilities are dedicated to industries such as chemicals and petroleum.

Traffic on the Manchester Ship Canal is some 6 million tonnes pa. This makes the Canal one of the region's most important maritime assets. Volumes have been in long term decline, partly due to its inability to handle increasing size of vessels, but also due to the weakening of its industrial customer base. There is also a substantial waterside landbank. Canalside development sites of up to 30 acres are available. Lying adjacent to dock and wharf facilities, these provide strategic locations for businesses.