ENCOURAGING FIRST HALF FOR ABP’S EAST ANGLIAN PORTS
The first six months of 2003 have seen Associated British Ports’ (ABP) East Anglian Ports of Ipswich, King’s Lynn and Lowestoft increase volumes of trade in dry bulks and unitised traffic. There have been a number of significant new developments during this period, together with further investment in facilities at these short-sea ports.
IPSWICH
Ipswich’s roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) trade continued to see strong growth, and prospects for further growth have been enhanced following ABP’s plans to invest £6.1 million to construct a second ro-ro berth, following a 20-year agreement with Ferryways N.V., the port’s major customer.
Ferryways has consistently developed its service over the past three years, having only recently acquired new vessels, enabling it to increase further its sailings to a total of four a day. As a gesture of goodwill to her home port, and to emphasise the strong relationship between the company and ABP, Ferryways recently re-named its new vessel the m.v. Ipswich Way.
Other key trades, such as timber imports, also saw positive developments. April was a record month for timber imports at the Port of Ipswich, which handled 32,500 cu m of timber from the Baltic states, Sweden and Finland – easily breaking the port’s previous record for a single month.
The £0.3 million expansion of the award-winning Ipswich Haven Marina was completed in May. Planning permission was granted by the local council for the port to build a further 38 berths, bringing the marina’s total to 250. The additional mooring space was created to meet increased demand at the marina that holds the prestigious Five Gold Anchor Award from the Yacht Harbour Association.
KING’S LYNN
King’s Lynn experienced solid growth during the first six months of the year, with increased volumes of dry bulks, scrap metal and timber reinforcing the port’s strategic importance as a regional gateway.
In June, the port took delivery of two new state-of-the-art cranes to improve the port’s handling capacity. Representing an investment of approximately £1 million, the Fuchs MHL 380 and the Liebherr LHM70 have provided additional versatility and efficiency to the port’s existing cargo-handling facilities.
LOWESTOFT
In response to increased operational demand, Lowestoft boosted its container-handling capacity by leasing a brand-new fleet of Lansing-Linde handling equipment. The fleet, comprising four three-tonne capacity forklift trucks, one six-tonne capacity side-loader and one 42-tonne capacity reach-stacker, serves the port’s North Quay Terminal, handling steel, forest products, containers and general cargo.
Plans were also announced for the construction of the £1.0 million Lowestoft Haven Marina. The development, which will see the creation of 140 berths, is expected to be completed by the end of September.
Nick Palmer, ABP Port Director, Short-Sea Ports, commented:
“ABP’s East Anglian ports have made an encouraging start to the year. We have enjoyed significant growth in certain key trades and have continued to expand our range of facilities to meet increased customer and operational demand. The fact that we are continuing to invest across the Ports of Ipswich, King’s Lynn and Lowestoft is excellent news for the region and its reputation as a gateway for trade with Europe.”
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