Quote:
Originally Posted by Carth
Yes I understand that, but surely there will be a massive reduction in the lorries using these facilities  |
It's kind of muddled to be fair because of the 'Rotterdam Effect' where a proportion of extra-EU trade for the UK goes
via other ports in the EU. Currently, once goods are cleared in one EU country, they become EU goods and can be moved anywhere, including the UK. No one really traces this because, with the CM and SM, we haven't needed to beyond rough and ready calculations
Of course, after the end of March, if we go WTO and treat the EU under MFN rules, then it might be advantageous to unload and clear goods in the UK rather than a port in another country in the EU. Because of this, we probably move from Roll on-Roll off truck transport of goods internationally to containerised transport in big ships. This would need at least some expansion of our container ports such as Tilbury and Felixstowe, including transport links for trucks going to and from those ports.
So, if our imports and exports remain the same but we reduce trade with the EU, then the trucks of the UK distribution system will go to other ports - lots of short domestic hops rather than trans-continental transport.
Of course, everything comes down to cost, it may still be cheaper and more convenient to stack the trucks up at our Ro-Ro ports than restructuring our current distribution system for goods in the UK.
TL
R - dunno.