Tesco to transport wine by barge

Source: Supply Chain Digital

Date :19/10/2007 09:42:54

After its maiden voyage in Liverpool, Tesco has claimed that it is the "first major UK retailer to start transporting freight by canal."

The supermarket giant is using tugboats launched from Liverpool's Royal Seaforth dock to transfer 20ft containers holding the equivalent of 32,000 75cl bottles of wine.

Green freight

The barge is to journey up and down the river three times a week. According to Tesco, this will be the equivalent of taking 50 lorries off the road every week, cutting carbon emissions by 80 percent.

"This move will be like taking a step back to the pre-car days of the late Victorian era, when a lot of cargo was still transported by canal," said Laurie McIlwee, the Tesco’s distribution director.

"We are continually reviewing alternative green methods of transporting cargo and this is our first waterborne project within the UK. We are already looking at other areas where we can move freight on waterways.

Carbon cuts

"Reducing carbon emissions and looking at how we can make the business more environmentally friendly is a priority, and by 2012 we aim to halve the amount of carbon emitted per case of goods delivered."

October 19, 2007

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