Pictured are delegates from this year’s ECG maritime meeting at ABP’s Port of Grimsby
Associated British Ports is delighted to host the first of this year’s ECG’s Maritime & Ports Working Group meetings at its port in Grimsby.
The ECG meeting is being held in one of the UK’s leading gateways for the automotive sector. ABP’s Humber ports of Grimsby and Immingham handle over 700,000 vehicles a year in facilities that have benefited from more than £50 million of investment in facilities to support the needs of automotive customers. It’s also a growth location, with new capacity and facilities due to come on stream at locations such as ABP’s recent Stallingborough land acquisition. ABP’s Humber ports form a key part of ABP’s leading North – South offering for the automotive sector, working in conjunction with the auto hub at ABP Southampton.
Simon Bird, Regional Director for ABP (Humber) said: “We're delighted that ECG has chosen to come to our port in Grimsby, as the Humber has around 800,000 cars a year pass through its ports. The ports are a hub close to major short-sea and deep-sea shipping routes linking them to Europe, the Far East and the Americas supporting import and export trades.
“Our Grimsby River Terminal is also able to accept larger vessels up to 200m LOA making the Humber more attractive to the automotive industry looking to bring in vehicles to the UK market in the Midlands and the North. The sizeable investment we have made in automotive shows ABP is a key player in supporting the growth of commercial activities within this area.”
Around 40 participants representing shipping lines, terminal operators, ports, and OEMs will get an opportunity to hear from Gareth Russell, Head of Business Development, ABP (Humber) who will present on the infrastructure for alternative fuels. His focus will be on the plans for the Port of Immingham, which is earmarked for the Immingham Green Energy Terminal (IGET) which include Air Products plans to build and operate a green hydrogen production to help decarbonise the UK transport industry.
Recently ABP purchased the freehold of a 227.5-acre site known as Stallingborough Interchange signalling a commitment to the port operator’s new property strategy. The prominent site is earmarked for commercial port opportunities including automotive, bulk warehousing, distribution and logistics uses, advanced manufacturing, as well as green energy initiatives.
Delegates will also hear about the latest market developments from ECG’s Business Analyst, Namrita Chow. Daniel Gent, UECC will give the latest update on the emissions reporting project and there will also be an opportunity to discuss challenges and opportunities for the maritime industry during the roundtable.
The programme began with the networking dinner on Wednesday at Stallingborough Grange Hotel, and the conference will take place on Thursday 22nd at Grimsby Port Office.
ECG, is the Association of European Vehicle Logistics, and has been the voice of the Finished Vehicle Logistics industry in Europe since 1997. ECG represents the interests of over 150 member companies and partners, from family-owned SMEs to multi-nationals, and is the major champion of the European vehicle logistics sector.
