The Port of Immingham in the Humber region is undergoing an upgrade as part of the association of British Port’s (ABP) Group Professional Services Framework to deliver growth over the next six years. Immingham is to benefit from a new £100m ro-ro terminal as part of the scheme.
ABP represents 21 ports around the UK, comprising of 87km of quays, which handle 90 million tonnes of cargo each year. This accounts for a quarter of all rail freight each year in the UK. Immingham is a key port, not just in Humber, but the whole of the country, as is the largest port in the UK by tonnage.
The latest upgrades are part of the wider Ports Framework deal, which is generating £414m of investment and ongoing maintenance projects. Marina Wyatt, ABP's chief financial officer, said: “This is a really positive step for ABP, and it will be fundamental in allowing us to move forward with our growth strategy.”
She added: “The Group Professional Services Framework will help us rapidly respond to our customers’ growing needs through the delivery of best-in-class infrastructure and is a foundation from which we can ensure we continue to fulfil our mission to keep Britain trading.”
Since Brexit, the ABP reports that demand for sea freight has soared, and North Sea routes are in particular demand. Investment has increased across all ports in the Humber region, with new crane and cargo handling equipment being installed, and existing stock refurbished, to handle greater volumes of oversized cargo shipping.
At the end of April, Immingham saw the arrival of the world’s largest hydraulic crane. The Mantsinen 330M Hybrilift cost £3m, and was shipped from the manufacturer’s factory in Finland. A team of engineers from Mantsinen are currently overseeing the assembly of the crane, before port operatives undertake a training course to learn how to operate it.
Simon Bird, Regional Director for ABP Humber said: “The arrival of the Mantsinen crane marks another significant milestone in ABP’s ongoing investment programme to enhance and expand our offer.”
He added: “Across the Humber Ports we are investing around £32 million in cranes as part of a five-year programme to ensure we offer have the right equipment and infrastructure to support our customers and bring growth to the area.”
The Port of Immingham is being expanded with a four-birth addition to the eastern side, as well as the new ro-ro terminal, which is being delivered in partnership with Stena Line.
The new Mantsinen crane can handle up to 1500 tonnes of cargo an hour, and weighs in at 365 tonnes. It has an 18.5m curved boom attachment, and a wheeled undercarriage with six axles. It’s part of a wider £35m investment by ABP in port equipment for the Humber region. There are further plans to purchase more cranes, and upgrade existing machinery.
The improvements in capacity and handling equipment mean that Humberside will lead the UK in handling heavy cargo shipping, and maintain its place at the heart of the country’s thriving ports infrastructure.
