THE fight to bring more than 5,500 jobs to the region with a £300m container terminal on the Tees moved a step closer to reality last night as port operator PD Ports submitted its plans for approval.

The company hopes to gain planning permission to build a deep-sea terminal on the Tees which would bring in goods directly from the Far East.

The expansion of the port could increase the NorthEast's economic output by millions of pounds and create thousands of jobs.

PD had been lobbying for the Government to halt any further port expansion in the overheated South and allow investment in the northern ports instead - but the Government ignored its pleas and granted permission for three ports in the South - at Felixstowe, Harwich and London.

Now, to give it a fighting chance, PD faces a race against the clock to get its application through - and the terminal up and running - before all the southern ports are ready.

It is planning to have its container terminal operational by 2009, ahead of two of its rivals, which would mean it could win the business it needs to operate.

Yesterday, PD submitted its application for the container handling terminal, close to the mouth of the Tees, to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

The land-based part of the terminal will cover 54 hectares, with a terminal, cranes, lorry parking, offices and gatehouses.

The sea-based application is being made tomorrow and will be submitted to the Department for Transport. This covers the creation of berths and dredging of the river channel to accommodate the increased ship sizes.

David Robinson, managing director for PD Teesport said: "The deep-sea container terminal will bring significant new inward investment to the North and will bring new jobs to an area which desperately needs this economic and social stimulus."

Stan Higgins, chief executive of the North East Process Industries' Cluster, which represents the chemical and pharmaceutical companies in the region, welcomed the fact the plans had been submitted.

"I think from our point of view we are really pleased that the port expansion is going ahead, " he said.

"We still believe that the infrastructure in the North-East needs to be improved, the ports, the roads and the air connections, as well as the energy sources, so we welcome this move by the port."

The Northern Echo has been supporting Teesport's plans through its Support Our Port campaign for more than a year.