Solid Recovered Fuel

Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF)

Lines of plastic-covered bales neatly stacked along the quayside have been a familiar site at Workington for almost 4 years.

They contain Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) produced by Shanks Waste Management at Hespin Wood, Carlisle.
Permission has been granted for up to 60,000 tonnes/annum of SRF to be imported from Barrow & Dumfries, combined with locally produced material and processed through the baling plant.

The finished bales are delivered to the dockside by road where they await export to Latvia. They serve as an alternative fuel for power generation in the cities of Riga & Liepaja. This strategy has the dual benefit of lowering carbon emissions & reducing the cost of landfill disposal to the Cumbrian tax payer.

It has recently been reported that this activity will cease in 2016; a blow to both the environment and ship enthusiast.

The trade began in 2012 with the first vessel, NORDIC DIANA, arriving on 15th March to load cargo destined for the capital Riga. Latterly most shipments have been to the smaller city of Liepaja. Traffic peaked in the years 2013 & 2014 when nine loads were exported. The vessels used on this route to the Baltic were often new visitors to the port and therefore eagerly awaited.

A selection of photos gathered during recent years is presented below.