Forth Ports hosted celebration events in Scotland and in Tilbury to recognise the achievements of their talented apprentices, recognising the value they contribute to the business, and acknowledge the skills they have developed throughout their journey.

The events celebrated and awarded 11 apprentices across the group who successfully completed their apprenticeships in the past year and who have now transitioned into permanent positions, adding to the business’s 95% apprentice retention record.

For the first time this year, two individual apprentices received a prestigious Apprentice of the Year award, an accolade that will now be given each year.

In Scotland, Callum Carr, 19, a former Falkirk High student, was named Apprentice of the Year. Callum began his journey with Forth Ports in 2023 as an Electrical Engineering Apprentice, working toward his qualification through Forth Valley College, which he is expected to complete in 2027. Callum exemplifies the core values of Forth Ports, consistently striving for success and serving as an excellent role model for his peers and future apprentices.

In Tilbury, Rebekah Inniss, 22, a former student of The Ockendon Academy, was awarded Apprentice of the Year. She began her career on the government’s Kickstart initiative working in the port’s reception in 2021. In 2023, she was offered a full-time position as a clerical assistant in Conventional and enrolled in a Business Administration Apprenticeship, which she aims to complete by June this year. Her hard work has made her an instrumental part of the team, exemplifying how the skills gained through these programmes can significantly advance your career.

Commenting on the apprenticeship programme Natalie Dalgleish, Head of Learning & Development said: “At Forth Ports, we recognise the transformative power of apprenticeships in unlocking potential, developing lifelong skills, and creating opportunities for growth. During our recent awards ceremony, we emphasised the crucial role that apprenticeships play in shaping careers and driving innovation within our business.

Apprenticeships are not exclusively for young people embarking on their careers; they serve as a valuable tool for individuals at any stage of their professional journey to upskill, reskill, and explore new opportunities.

At Forth Ports, we remain dedicated to nurturing talent through initiatives that equip individuals with the skills necessary not only for career success but also for personal development, contributing to the success of our business and the wider communities we serve.” 

Forth Ports has also launched its early careers campaign at an exciting time for the business as it continues to grow following a period of significant investment across the UK. The business needs a talented workforce and has 17 exciting early career roles available across their UK ports. This is their largest ever intake of Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) and despite a reported 31% decline in apprenticeship opportunities in the UK (source: CIPD*), Forth Ports remains committed to building its future workforce and upskilling the current team.

Forth Ports is seeking 17 Modern Apprenticeships and one graduate to fill roles which will provide skills for life to individuals working across their Scottish and Tilbury operations. There are a variety of roles including a newly create MA role in procurement. The MA roles available are:

• Port of Tilbury (12 roles) in operations, health & safety, procurement, marine and engineering.
• In Scotland, there are four MA engineering roles in Grangemouth, Leith and Dundee.
• The business also requires one Graduate to join the essential IT team in Scotland.

Closing date for applying is 10 March 2025. For more about careers at Forth Ports and the current vacancies, go to: https://www.forthports.co.uk/careers/

Forth Ports has submitted Detailed Planning Consent and Listed Building Consent to The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) for phase two of Harbour 31, known as ‘The Dry Dock at Harbour 31’, an exciting creative and commercial hub on land to the south east of Edinburgh Dock within the Port of Leith.

The Dry Dock at Harbour 31 development is part of the wider Harbour 31 regeneration plan currently used for industrial port activities, the proposal will transform the site into a dynamic, mixed-use development that will cater to a diverse range of businesses, from creatives and visual artists to port related enterprises and other commercial sectors.

The redevelopment will also introduce new public spaces, opening up previously inaccessible areas of the port to the wider community. Featuring repurposed shipping containers which will provide flexible, inspiring workspaces that respect the site’s industrial heritage while creating a collaborative, professional, and sociable environment.

Pamela Smyth, Chief Legal and Property Officer, of landowners Forth Ports Limited, said: “Our application for The Dry Dock at Harbour 31 aims to deliver a vibrant, creative and commercial hub that integrates this historical site with its surroundings and will introduce new public spaces and open up previously inaccessible areas of the port to the community.

“Through significant investment, the Port of Leith is transitioning into a leading offshore renewables hub and coupled with this proposed development, this adds to the current regeneration of Leith and the waterfront.”

 29 January 2025                         – ends –

Scotland’s largest agricultural products hub (“agri-hub”) at the Port of Rosyth has made a further major investment in specialist haulage equipment to support the large tonnage of bulk cargos the port handles each year. The multimillion-pound investment sees the delivery of 10 tractors and 13 trailers which will primarily support the bulk cargo import work with agri feed specialist Cefetra,

Cefetra, a long-term customer of the Port of Rosyth, supplies the Scottish market with key raw materials for the feed, food and drink industries, and has imported over 2 million tonnes of agri bulk into the port since the partnership started in 2020.

The 10 new tractors are New Holland T6.180’s built in Basildon, Essex with 13 Marshall QM1400 (18.4 cubic meter, 20t capacity) trailers manufactured in Aberdeen. All the equipment, supplied by Bryson Tractors Ltd, is TASCC (Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops) certified, a quality accreditation, to allow them to handle food and feed products. [NB: See images of five tractors and trailers at The Port of Rosyth provided with this release].

Commenting on the investment, Andy Lamb, Asset Manager at the Port of Rosyth said: “This significant investment in our agri-hub in Rosyth ensures that we are able to provide excellent haulage support for our important customer Cefetra with the large volume of agri-bulk imported each year. Coupled with our bespoke agri-bulk warehousing at the port, we are in the perfect location to ensure that the supplies reach the key farming and food market in Scotland. Our thanks to the team at Bryson Tractors for delivering the tractors and trailers in time for a busy 2025 ahead.”

 James Neilson, Supply Chain Director, Cefetra said: “We are delighted to see this significant investment at the Port of Rosyth, which underscores its vital role as Scotland’s premier agri-hub. The addition of specialist haulage equipment will enhance the port’s operational efficiency and capacity, directly supporting the high volumes of bulk cargo we handle together.

 “As a long-term partner of the Port of Rosyth, Cefetra is proud to contribute to Scotland’s feed, food, and drink industries by ensuring a reliable supply of key raw materials. The import of over 2 million tonnes to date highlights the strength of this partnership and its importance to Scotland’s agricultural and industrial sectors.

This investment is a clear commitment to supporting sustainable growth in the agri-supply chain. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Port of Rosyth to deliver quality and efficiency for our customers across Scotland.”

 Stuart Dickson, Sales Manager from Bryson Tractors Ltd, who supplied the Marshall Trailers and New Holland Tractors said “We are really pleased to work with Forth Ports on this project.  Working along with our suppliers, we put together a comprehensive package to meet the requirements and timescales of Forth Ports.  Our team at Bryson Tractors and our suppliers put in a huge effort to deliver this project. It’s great to see the machines now operating on-site. We are looking forward to continue supporting Forth Ports and Cefetra in the future.”

Forth Ports has set out its ambition to achieve net zero operations across the group by 2042 and, as part of this, the Port of Rosyth is working through a transition to move all plant and equipment to run on HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil). This process began in 2023 with the dedicated Agri Hub equipment including the mobile harbour crane and eco hopper switching to HVO.

The agri-hub in Rosyth, which opened in 2020, handles an extensive range of important agricultural products for Scottish animal feed, food and drink and farming industries. The port’s warehouse capacity for agri products can store up to 100,000 tonnes. The new equipment will be based in Rosyth, Leith and Dundee with the majority of tonnage being handled in Rosyth. They will join the existing fleet of specialist bulk cargo moving equipment at the port including the Liebherr mobile harbour crane with SAMSON ecological hopper to manage dust emission.

The location and facilities at the Agri-Hub on the Firth of Forth ensure an efficient supply chain as cargo can be shipped directly from many origins from all around the World to Scotland without the need for trans-shipments at a European port. This also means there is a reduction in truck road miles as the hub is located centrally in Scotland for many farmers and food manufacturers.

Rosyth’s location and logistical links to the motorway network, make it ideally suited to supply all areas of Scotland and Northern England. The port has both deep sea and short sea capabilities. To create the agri-hub, the Port of Rosyth was deepened to provide a true deep-water port capable of taking vessels carrying up to 50,000 tonnes of cargo.

 23 January 2025                          – ENDS –

Forth Ports, the UK’s third largest port operator, announces today (12 December 2024) a £50 million private investment in infrastructure at the Port of Leith having secured its largest ever offshore wind contract, the delivery of the 1.1 gigawatt (GW) Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.

This latest investment in infrastructure at the Port of Leith will enhance the port’s marine access, infrastructure and vessel assets and includes plant and equipment that will be used to deliver Inch Cape. It will also create up to 50 new and upskilled green energy jobs to support the project.

Forth Ports’ agreement with Inch Cape, to be sited off the Angus coast, will utilise the port operator’s bespoke facilities and expertise at newly created renewable energy hubs at both the Port of Leith and Port of Dundee.

Visiting the Port of Leith today, Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, said: “Investment in key sectors such as Scotland’s ports can reap rewards. This is why the Scottish Budget commits £150 million to the offshore wind infrastructure and supply – to attract private investment such as this announcement from Forth Ports.

“Supported by Forth Green Freeport incentives, the Leith Renewables Hub will bring well-paid green jobs and ensure Scotland is best placed to develop a world leading renewables sector while progressing to net zero.

“The Scottish Government’s Green Industrial Strategy identifies how we can work better, smarter and quicker to create an investor-friendly environment and seize the many opportunities for green growth which lie ahead. This is a great example of how this has been achieved.”

Today’s Leith announcement follows a decade of private investment, during which time Forth Ports has created the land, quayside and skills capacity, which has not previously existed in Scotland, to deliver very large offshore wind contracts.

Stuart Wallace, Chief Executive Officer, Forth Ports said: “Inch Cape represents a very significant milestone for Forth Ports as it is the largest offshore wind contract ever to be awarded to our business. When it goes live, Inch Cape will have a significant impact on Scotland’s energy transition as the country drives to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

“Our strategy is to create and build the renewables hubs ahead of market demand and we have achieved this in Dundee and Leith. Coupled with other specialist facilities delivered by Forth Projects, this creates an unrivalled prime position for Forth Ports to deliver large offshore wind projects.

“We have a clear vision and today we commit to investing a further £50million in Leith, from our own resources, to support Inch Cape and future renewables projects.”

David Webster, Commercial Director at Forth Ports, said: “Today’s announcement is a gamechanger for Forth Ports and the Scottish offshore wind market. We have created world class renewables hubs in Dundee and Leith and solved the challenge of local content by locating at ports near the construction sites, creating high quality local green jobs and local supply chains while securing work for future generations.”

Forth Projects – Forth Ports’ in-house logistics division – will handle Inch Cape’s monopile and jacket foundations at the Port of Leith. The specialist pre-assembly and marshalling of the wind farm’s 72 turbines – comprising 72 nacelles, 216 blades and 72 towers – will be undertaken by Vestas in the Port of Dundee (Dundee was previously announced as a hub for Inch Cape in 2022).

John Hill, Inch Cape Project Director, said: “Through our substantial contract with Forth Ports, Inch Cape is pleased to be the catalyst for a major infrastructure investment that will not only benefit our own project but also those Scottish projects that are to follow. The utilisation of these two east coast ports – Leith and Dundee – for our offshore construction, will also facilitate significant opportunities with our Tier 1 contractors for the wider Scottish supply chain.”

Leith and Dundee were chosen after a competitive selection process due to their proximity to the project site off the Angus coast, coupled with the first-class storage and assembly capacity and purpose-built offshore renewables quayside facilities. 

The £50 million investment is the second phase of delivery of the vision behind the 175-acre Leith Renewables Hub which also forms part of one of the strategically located tax sites within the Forth Green Freeport.

Once completed in 2027, Inch Cape – one of Scotland’s largest offshore wind farms – will generate enough green energy to power half of Scotland’s homes. It will feature state-of-the-art Vestas 15 megawatt (MW) turbines, the tallest ever deployed in Scottish waters at a height of 274m (20m taller than Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh) and a new onshore substation now under construction on the brownfield site of the former Cockenzie Power Station, East Lothian.