The British Ports Association released the results of a
survey of UK ports that shows after a difficult year in 2020, the ports expect
another difficult year in 2021. However, there is also appearing an increased
level of confidence for the year ahead. The survey, which explored the ports’
views for 2021, was conducted across the membership which consists of 400
ports, harbors, and terminals, that collectively facilitate 86 percent of the
UK’s shipping trade.
When asked to summarize their outlook for 2021 in one word
or sentence, the word most commonly mentioned by respondents was “challenge,”
followed by ”uncertain,” with other responses saying “difficult.” Some said
2021 would bring more challenges than 2020.
“In most senses, the results from this survey were as
expected, following the unimaginable and unprecedented challenges posed by
2020. The majority of ports stated that there had been negative impacts on
their customer activity, which came at great cost to port businesses. Although
not impacting all ports, Brexit changes are another great unknown,” said Phoebe
Warneford-Thomson, Policy Manager and Economic Analyst, at the British Ports
Association.
The ports universally agreed that 2020 had been a very
difficult year for their operations. Asked about the year just completed, 87
percent of the ports said that the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted
their customer activity. Over three-quarters of respondents stated that their
revenue had fallen since this time last year. Yet, two-thirds of ports said
they felt “somewhat confident” about the business outlook for 2021. Only a
third responded that they felt “not so confident” for the business outlook in
2021.
“This year will not be without its challenges, with
continued disruption to the fishing industry and trade between the rest of the
UK and Northern Ireland, and the staggered implementation of border controls
continuing until June,” acknowledged Warneford-Thomson. “However, 2021 should
be a year of real opportunity too; as we hope to see the initial recovery to
the economy post-COVID and have the chance to shape several key Government
policies, including Freeports.”
Asked about their view of the economic climate for the next
12 months, the ports were largely neutral. A quarter of ports felt positive and
a quarter of respondents held a negative view. Among the words they chose to
describe their concerns for the year ahead, the ports cited customer activity,
the overall status of the economy, operational challenges posed by the
pandemic, Brexit, and decreased revenue.
The BPA says it was pleased to see some hope for what 2021
will bring. They noted that some ports responded saying they were positive, or
said they had hope, and saw opportunity. One port said “things can only get
better…” citing the vast array of challenges the ports and citizens had
encountered in 2020.