The Port of Ipswich is situated at the head of the River Orwell, 12 miles (19km) from the open sea and handles 2 million tonnes of cargo per year. It is the UK’s leading grain export port and handles a range of other products such as fertiliser, cement and aggregates.
DOCUMENTS AND LINKS
Ipswich Tidal Information 2023 (0.1Mb) Ipswich Port Plan (1.0Mb) Ipswich Beacon Marina Property Solutions Monitoring the Disposal of Maintenance Material in River Orwell 2019 Port Charges Ipswich 2023 Port Charges Ipswich 2024 River Orwell Swinging Mooring Application Form Port Of Ipswich Byelaws 1996 Live Tidal and Meteorological InformationThroughout our network of 21 ports around Britain, our expert and highly-trained teams are ready to work in partnership to deliver the solutions your business needs.
Backed by a programme of ongoing investment, our ports provide leading facilities and equipment, operated by our expert teams who can safely and efficiently handle a wide variety of different cargoes.
As well as routinely and efficiently handling grain, cement and aggregates, the Port of Ipswich also expertly handles forest products, containers and project cargo as well as a broad portfolio of dry bulk cargo, including animal feed and fertiliser.
Together with our customers, ABP's East Anglian Ports of King’s Lynn, Ipswich and Lowestoft contribute a total of £360 million to the economy every year, support 5,300 jobs nationally.
The port has a team dedicated to safely delivering the highest standards of customer service, ready to work in partnership to help our customers’ businesses to grow.

Connectivity
The Port of Ipswich is a short sailing time from the North Sea shipping lanes, is less than a mile (1.6km) from the town centre and its major trunk roads A14 and A12 are both within easy reach and provide connections to the M25 and M11.
Delivering for customers
All ABP's ports offer the latest state-of-the-art facilities and equipment dedicated to handling a wide range of cargoes.
The Port of Ipswich has three aggregates terminals as well as Coldock Terminal, offering over 16,000sqm of covered warehousing. A dedicated timber-treatment centre offers chromium- and arsenic-free wood preservative whilst Cliff Quay Container Terminal is equipped with a 40-tonne capacity crane and rail-mounted gantries. Specialist plant, equipment, and weighbridges are provided in the port to cater for heavy-lift and project cargoes.
ABP Ipswich has made a multi-million pound investment in terminal facilities, automated lock gates, Ro-Ro facilities and cranes as part of its commitment to continuously improve the service it provides.
In January 2019, the Port of Ipswich invested £700,000 in the construction of a new, de-mountable warehouse, providing extra storage space and improved flexibility, as part of ABP’s ongoing commitment to customers.
The port has also recently invested more than £3 million in two new bulk storage terminals, the Orwell Bulk and Cliff Bulk Terminals, adding more than 7,000sqm of storage space, and also unveiled a new fertiliser bagging and packaging plant at the port.
ABP’s Ipswich Beacon Marina (formally Ipswich Haven), offers convenient access to the historic Ipswich Waterfront and draws thousands of visitors every year.
Port of Ipswich provides
16,000sqm of covered storageHandles over
£600 million of trade every yearHandles over
2 million tonnes of cargo per yearNotices to Mariners in force are listed below.
Ipswich
2023
38/2023 - Environment Agency Grabbing Survey
37A/2023 - Lock Beam Restrictions
35/2023 - Restricted Lock Movements
34a/2023 - River Orwell Dredging
32/2023 - Depths at the Port of Ipswich and River Orwell
30/2023 - Leisure Users Advice - Safety of Navigation on the River Orwell
29/2023 - Non-Routine Towage Assessment
07/2023 – Ipswich Tidal Barrier Tests
2022
06 River Orwell - Speed Buoy near Downham Re-Located
2021
01 Self-Mooring on Commercial Berths
2020
13 Vessel Reporting and Clearance Notifications
2019
10 Navigation Buoys on the River Orwell
03 Navigation Lights at Ipswich Tidal Barrier
2018
09 Tidal Barrier New Cut Navigation
07 Woolverstone Marina - Removal of Navigation Aid
2016
09 Cable Markers - Ipswich Lock
08 Fox's Marina Entrance - Buoyage
2015
2012
2011
13 Haven Marine Extension - Additional Piling
2010
08 Water Ski Area - Boundary Buoys
2009
07 Speed Restrictions River Orwell
06 Buoy Movements Ipswich Port
2008
09 Bunkering Procedure Safety Checklist
05 Impeding Safe Navigation to Large Vessels
03 Dipping Ship's Mooring lines
2006
10 Vessels Overtaking and Passing in River Orwell
2005
05 Health and Safety During Ship Mooring Operations
2004
11 Dangers of Unattended Moorings
East Anglia
2022
02a Updated Information for Leisure vessels arriving from outside the UK
02 Leisure vessels arriving from outside the UK
01 Sanctions against Russian Shipping
2021
For ABP’s standard terms and conditions, please click here.