Video footage shows moment of impact between Solong and US tanker
Video footage has emerged of the collision between the containership Solong and US tanker Stena ...
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Embattled UK transport secretary Chris Grayling could come under more pressure, this time as a US land developer looks again at acquiring Kent’s Manston Airport to run it as a full-freighter gateway.
Riveroak Strategic Partners (RSP) has attempted to buy the disused airport several times, with a compulsory purchase order rejected by Thanet District Council (TDC) in 2015.
Now RSP has applied for a development consent order (DCO) with the Department for Transport (DfT).
But questions have been raised over the merit of ...
Comment on this article
Aaron
February 13, 2019 at 7:41 pmGood article although I would challenge the opinions of the “third source”. Stansted is NOT congested and has around 20,000 freight slots free. Prestwick is also a pretty poor model for success in view of the fact that the Scottish government subsidises its collasal annual losses.
Manston lost around £100 million over its 15 year commercial history operating in the “niche” dedicated freighter market. The dedicated freighter market is also in decline as bellyhold takes an ever increasing share of an overall airfreight market that’s been flat for the last 15 years and not predicted to increase over the next 30 years by the DfT.
Ralph
February 14, 2019 at 5:54 am“Government sponsored land grab” is rich when Stone Hill Park Ltd have been paid well over £6m by the very same Department for Transport in order to use Manston Airport as a lorry park. The same money has been spent trying to submit planning applications in order to build 3,700 houses on the airport.
Ramsgate resident
February 14, 2019 at 9:43 amWhatever they earn out from HMG it is still their land bought and paid for when nobody else wanted it. Before you say they only paid a £ Riveroak could have done the same though looking at their latest failure to provide legitimate and credible financial information to the Planning Inspectorate I doubt they had that
P Moore
February 14, 2019 at 5:56 amA Director of RSP, Tony Freudman, is a disbarred solicitor. He is the only one of the cabal with experience in airports. None of which have been a success. They have all gone into liquidation. All of this is a well known fact so what are RSP doing employing him ? RSP stated that with control of Manston they will be handing it over to a management company, will the rules and regulations agreed with RSP hold with this new company and have they been checked out for desirability to run this airfield>
Glenn Horwood
February 14, 2019 at 9:02 amYour piece is mostly codswallop! Manston, has excellent road links, look at Google earth, it’s less than 45mins from M25 and about 15 mins to M2 and about same to M20 and its dual carriageway/ Motorway nearly all the way, as for Prestwick, do you actually know where Prestwick is??
Ramsgate resident
February 14, 2019 at 9:37 amHave you seen the congestion on the A2/M2 ??
Pl us it’s near enough at a standstill at the Dartford crossing every day without fail.
Mike
February 14, 2019 at 10:51 amGlenn, your comment is exactly the sort of fiction that has characterised the pro-airport campaign (longest runway in the country, major diversion airfield etc etc) Google maps shows Manston is approximately 60 miles from the M25. Do you really believe lorries can average 80mph along the A299, M2 and A2?
Andrew
February 14, 2019 at 4:41 pmThe facts speak for themselves. Manston, near a dual carriageway or not, is too far away from anywhere else to be a cargo hub.
When Heathrow temporarily stopped taking cargo during the Olympics, Manston was still open. But not one kg of displaced cargo came to it. One has to wonder why.
Anne-Marie Nixey
February 14, 2019 at 9:36 amThanet is surrounded by water on three sides. Whilst being a suitable vantage point to fight invading forces, it is in totally the wrong location for freight. Even as a commercial airport it failed due to its unsuitable location, and that was with government funding! RSP have failed time and again to prove funding is adequate and where that funding stream would come from. The Secretary of State woukd be wise to be wary of this offer, due diligence not being his strong point. There is no fuel pipeline at the old airport. Tankers would be coming in and leaving empty, freight trucks arriving empty and leaving full. For the potential of 83,000 flights a year! If anyone says they can get to the M25 in less than an hour now enjoy it. You won’t be with that congestion on the road.
Ramsgate Resudent
February 14, 2019 at 12:53 pmRSP is a start-up with no assets, 90% owned by a Belize company MIO Investments which so far has prevented the U.K. government from undertaking financial due diligence. It’s directors (Mr Freudmann) have a track record of airport acquisition, private and government funding (inc over £100m for Manston BTW plus huge infrastructure investment from Kent County Council) followed by airport closures. Completing robust diligence is essential as the whole Seabourne fiasco proves.