The public inquiry into Associated British Ports' plans for a new port complex at Dibden Bay promises to be one of the most contentious ever seen in the south. Today we ask is the port really necessary?

The case for...

JOBS AND trade will disappear from Southampton - hitting the local and national economy hard.

That is the stark warning if the proposed development of Dibden Bay does not go ahead.

Associated British Ports, (ABP) the owner and operator of Southampton Docks and the developers behind the multi-million-pound scheme to construct a new container port on Southampton Water, says the terminal is crucial for continued prosperity.

ABP believes there is a strong need, both nationally and regionally, to develop reclaimed land at Dibden Bay, as the industry has already concluded that with the expansion of Southampton together with the ports of Felixstowe and Thames-port there is a need for further capacity.

A spokesman for ABP said: "Even assuming that all proposed container terminal developments in the UK go ahead as planned, there will still be a major shortfall in quayline capacity if the Dibden Terminal is not developed.

"Trade is a vital part of the UK economy and is becoming more important. The volume of goods exported and imported has grown steadily in recent years and is widely expected to continue to do so.

"As a strategic gateway port, Southampton is a key element in the national economy and the national infrastructure, handling more than six per cent of total UK trade by volume.

"It is a major player in several key trades that directly serve the national economy, particularly the deep-sea containers and roll-on/roll-off sectors.

"If Southampton cannot expand to meet the demands of world shipping alliances they will take their trade and our jobs to continental ports that can.

"As an island nation we have never relied on foreign ports and traditionally have benefited from a regional split of major UK ports.''

ABP maintains the total market for which UK south-east container ports will be required to cater will have nearly doubled by 2001, when the Dibden terminal will have been completed.

"Southampton has unique physical and geographical advantages as an international deep-sea container port,'' says ABP.

"It is the only port on the south coast and the first or last port passed by intercontinental shipping travelling between Europe and the rest of the world.

"Only deep-sea ports on the south and south east coasts of England are potentially in the market for many international trades.

"Southampton's location at the base of the spine of Britain means that it is accessible from almost the whole of the country without passing through the road and rail networks of Greater London.''

ABP says shipping lines and shippers want to use Southampton because of its maritime facilities, especially deep-water access, its record of efficiency, location and increasingly the facilities for transferring from ship to land transport.

"There is a strong local and UK need for forecast national demand to be met in UK ports,'' said the ABP spokesman.

"Failure to meet this demand would risk UK trade being transhipped from the European mainland. Failure to expand the port of Southampton would also risk the decline or loss of the only deepwater port on the UK coastline closest to the international trade route.''

The case against...

New terminal not necessary

OPPONENTS of Dib-den Bay are insisting that its planned container terminal is not necessary.

They say the container terminal in Southampton's Western Docks is under-utilised and could be operated more efficiently.

They also list expansion at other ports that could take UK capacity to more than double the national need.

In drawing up their case against the need for the new terminal, they claim that Southampton Container Terminals (SCT), which carries out the container operation in the Western Docks, currently uses four berths for container ships and handles 16 or 17 ships per week.

"The two original container berths are currently used for car imports and a third is idle. If the other berths are brought back into service - they need re-piling first - we believe that SCT should reach up to 2.5 million TEUs (20ft equivalent units, the standard container). This is compared to the 1.065 million achieved in 2000," they say.

They also speak of a series of new port projects planned around the country, which are:

l P&O Ports' intention to redevelop the redundant Shell Haven refinery into the UK's largest container port with the ability to handle 3.5 million TEUs. The managing director of P&O Ports has stated that this alone could satisfy UK growth for up to 20 years.

l A Harbour Revision Order application submitted by Felix-stowe for one more berth, bringing the port to its maximum capacity.

l A fourth berth at Tilbury.

l Scope for a doubling of capacity at Thamesport.

l Plans for four berths at Bathside Bay, Harwich, where planning approval has been granted and construction is set to start within 18 months.

Pointing out that the area's business structure had been re-shaped in recent years, with levels of unemployment "historically low", the report added: "Overall, there are strong reasons for believing that the ABP projections of new employment creation are excessive and that the level of local economic benefit which would result from the proposals has been overstated."