ABP King’s Lynn handling its first shipment of granite
Associated British Ports’s Port of King’s Lynn welcomed its first ever shipment of granite in July. The cargo, received on behalf of Witherley Services, was safely and swiftly discharged to quay, enabling the first deliveries to reach local customers on the same day.
Witherley Services, based in Kettering, is part of the construction company, Aggregate Industries, who chose ABP King’s Lynn to meet their existing local customer demand and expand future sales in the area. The 3,542 metric tonnes of granite came from Aggregate Industries’ flagship super quarry, Glensanda in Scotland, the largest granite quarry in Europe. Granite stone is often used in buildings, bridges, paving, monuments, countertops, tile floors, stair treads and many other design elements of construction.
Kim Kennedy, ABP’s Port Manager for King’s Lynn, Associated British Ports, said,
“We’re proud of our team at our port of King’s Lynn for successfully handling this first shipment of granite. Aggregate Industries has been a customer for a long time, but this was the first contract with Witherley Services and with our highly skilled workforce and development land offering expansion, we hope that this will mean that more granite shipments will follow in the future.”
Chris Walton, Commercial Logistics Solutions Manager for Witherley Services said,
"We are delighted to partner with the ABP King’s Lynn team, who have handled our first granite cargo capably and professionally, a product which has been welcomed into the local market. We look forward to continuing to work together as we establish and increase our materials offered in the area."
ABP’s Port of King’s Lynn has benefited from £3.3 million investment, in storage and equipment, in the last couple of years. Whilst agribulks and aggregrates are handled both in-dock and on Riverside Quay, facilities at Bentinck Dock exist for the storage and distribution of recycled metal and other renewable energy products. The port also provides the expertise and equipment to efficiently handle specialist industrial project cargo, supporting the development of major UK infrastructure construction.
