Jobs are to be lost at the Port of Liverpool because of a "marked deterioration" in the number of containers it handles, its owner has said.
Peel Ports said the move is "extremely regrettable but now unavoidable, given the economic backdrop". The number of jobs that could be lost has not been revealed.
The company said the redundancy consultation process will start next week as it restructures its containers division.
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Peel Ports added that the unitised cargo market is "experiencing a significant decline in volume due to several factors which underpin the bleak outlook on the global economy; with rising interest rates, higher energy costs and weakening consumer demand for manufactured and imported goods".
The port has recently been hit by long-running strike action in recent weeks by members of the Unite union.
A spokesperson for Peel Ports Group, operator of the Port of Liverpool, said: "We have seen an increasing decline in the movement of containerised cargo for Liverpool over the last few months, in line with industry figures which show a 4.6% drop in volume across Europe.
"This, together with a recent sharp fall in container vessel charter rates of around 50%, indicate a rapid decline in throughput is expected over the next few months.
"Whilst this is an extremely regrettable situation, as a responsible employer, we need to restructure now in order to minimise the potential greater impact the downturn in container business will have on jobs, further down the line.
"We are exploring a number of different options to try and protect as many jobs as possible, including redeploying staff in other areas of the business which are less exposed to the economic crisis.
"We have invested heavily in building a business which has changed the outlook and prosperity for the Liverpool City Region, creating growth and jobs across the supply chain.
"Our aim is to grow the business further and create more jobs, not lose them. Every effort is being made to safeguard and protect as many jobs as possible and keep redundancies to a minimum."
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