RO-RO FACILITIES AT ABP IPSWICH SET TO EXPAND FOLLOWING NEW AGREEMENT WITH FERRYWAYS N.V.
Associated British Ports’ (ABP) Port of Ipswich is set to expand its roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) facilities following a 20-year extension to its existing five-year agreement with Ferryways N.V.
Operating a ro-ro ferry service, Ferryways commenced operations at the port in February 2000 with the introduction of the Ipswich-Ostend two-ship service. Volumes have consistently grown year-on-year, and in 2002 85,000 units were handled. To meet mounting demand, Ferryways introduced a third sailing in 2002, with a fourth vessel added to the service in June 2003. The new agreement will see ABP Ipswich invest £6.1 million to expand its ro-ro facilities on the port’s West Bank Terminal to accommodate the increased volumes.
Robert Smith, Port Manager, ABP Ipswich, commented:
“This is yet another major step forward in ABP’s ongoing investment programme at the Port of Ipswich. Since acquiring the port in 1997, ABP has invested in excess of £20 million in new and improved facilities. When ABP acquired Ipswich, one of the key targets was to re-establish it as a leading ro-ro port. The success of Ferryways has ensured that we have already reached that status, and with this new agreement in place, our position looks set to remain secure.”
Nick Palmer, ABP Port Director, Short-Sea Ports, similarly expressed satisfaction:
“The significant expansion of ro-ro trade at Ipswich underscores the port’s ideal location in terms of its proximity to mainland Europe and its ready access to established road and rail links to the Midlands, London and beyond. The new investment gives capacity to grow the ro-ro and unit-load business further, and secures East Anglia’s position as a major gateway for short-sea trades to the rest of Europe.”
Expressing confidence in the line’s future prospects, Jacques Dewilde, Managing Director, Ferryways N.V., said:
“This contract underlines our group’s strategy of steady growth. It also represents a further step towards installing the Ports of Ipswich and Ostend as seamless links between European motorways, thus creating excellent connections between industrial heartlands. By saving hauliers excess mileage, our services not only put the cargo closer to the customer base, but also help alleviate the ever-growing concerns over mobility and ecology.”
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