JIM FITZPATRICK MP OPENS ABP IMMINGHAM’S MARINE CONTROL CENTRE FOR IMPROVED SAFETY ON THE HUMBER
Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, today opened the Port of Immingham’s new Marine Control Centre, which was built following an investment of £750,000 by Associated British Ports (ABP), the owner and operator of the port.
The Port of Immingham's Marine Control Centre is vital to marine safety on the Humber. While Associated British Ports' vessel traffic services facility at Spurn Point is responsible for the safe passage of vessels on the Humber as a whole (some 35,600 vessel movements each year), the Marine Control Centre at Immingham has its own, equally important responsibilities.
Immingham's Marine Control Centre regulates all shipping movements within the limits of Immingham's harbour, which extends 200 yards from the face of the port's river jetties and therefore overlaps with the deepwater channel of the main estuary. As the port's 21 river berths and enclosed dock generate around 35 shipping movements per day, coinciding with some 52 vessels simultaneously navigating the deepwater channel en route to and from the other Humber ports, as well as those on the River Trent and River Ouse, the constant and accurate regulation of these ships' passage is necessary to reduce the risk of a marine incident.
John Fitzgerald, ABP Port Director, Grimsby & Immingham, said: “The Humber is the UK’s busiest trading estuary and, because of its unrivalled location and the facilities at the Ports of Immingham, Grimsby, Hull and Goole, is growing steadily to meet the demands of industry. When you consider the size and environmentally sensitive cargo of a great many of the thousands of vessels that navigate the enclosed dock every year, it is clear why we have to be so vigilant about safety. The new Marine Control Centre, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and a 360-degree view of the port, is therefore a vital addition to Immingham – and, by extension, the Humber as a whole. We are delighted that Jim Fitzpatrick has officially opened it for us today.”
Jim Fitzpatrick MP said: “This Government is committed to improving safety at sea. The maritime industry is vital to our nation and we rely on it for the majority of our foreign trade. The new Immingham Marine Control Centre will contribute to the safety and efficiency of shipping in the Humber Estuary and I am pleased to be here today to open it.”
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