The Port of Grangemouth, Scotland’s largest freight hub, has delivered a bumper ‘tattie’ season with 65,000 tonnes of seed potato exported around the world from Grangemouth. The busy container terminal grew annual volumes with 150,000 containers moving through the port in 2022.

October and November are the port’s peak months for Scotland’s seed potato trade with over half of the annual total of reefers (refrigerated containers) passing through the container terminal in Grangemouth. Annually, around 3,500 reefers containing approximately 65,000 tonnes of seed potatoes grown on farms across Scotland including Caithness & Sutherland, Grampian, Angus, Perthshire, Fife, the Borders and Ayrshire are shipped around the world.

The spuds make their way from Grangemouth principally to Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and the Middle East and as far afield as Taiwan and Thailand.

As well as potatoes, fish and seafood originating from all over Scotland move through the port in refrigerated containers to be shipped around the world to countries such as China, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Greece.

Derek Knox, Director of Operations for Forth Ports, said: “We have just had our busiest period of the year for our freight hub in Grangemouth and the Scottish tatties are just part of the goods we export globally in the winter months. We are Scotland’s largest container terminal and we play an important part in the country’s export and import market.

“We handle around 1million tonnes of food and drink products each year at the port including seafood, spirits, cheese and of course potatoes, being shipped out around the world.  This volume is handled by our efficient and experienced terminal teams ensuring everything is loaded onto vessels on time in order that cargo can meet connections to get to international destinations on time”

The port, which will be a key part of the Forth Green Freeport which was successfully shortlisted earlier this month, has enjoyed significant investment including over 500,000 sq.ft. of new warehousing space opening at the port over the past five years. In December, five new straddle carriers arrived into port to increase its capacity for storing both conventional containers and reefers. The new straddle carriers will replace five of the existing fleet of 16.

Grangemouth handles some of Scotland’s most valuable exports, such as fine foods and drinks, with more than £6 billion worth of goods passing through the port each year including steel plate, timber, paper and equipment for the oil and gas industry.

26 January 2023                                          – ends –

The Port of Tilbury’s London Container Terminal has signed an agreement to use Portchain Quay as their terminal wide berth planning tool for creating reliable berth plans supported by intelligent predictions. Portchain is excited to partner with London Container Terminal to unlock the potential in their quayside operations. The deployment of Portchain Quay is an important step in London Container Terminal’s digitization journey, where several key planning processes will be digitized to promote real-time information exchange, transparency and process efficiency across the terminal.

“As we continue our investment in the digitization of our busy container terminal, we have chosen Portchain Quay to assist our teams in providing reliable real time berth planning and optimization. Portchain Quay will improve the planning process for both the terminal and our customers, providing intelligent real time updates to our planners and more accurate berth predictions for our customers. The initial feedback has been incredibly positive and we look forward to working with Portchain Quay to develop the solution further.”  Ross McKissock, Director of Unitised, Forth Ports.

“We are excited to collaborate with London Container Terminal to help them accelerate their digitization journey, while providing them with vessel ETA and port stay prediction tools to optimize their operations.” Thor Thorup, CCO & Co-Founder, Portchain

 20 January 2023                                                          – ends –

The Port of Dundee’s new road salt import and distribution hub is handling 70,000 tonnes of road salt this year for distribution to Scotland’s regional depots via Scotland’s east coast ports.

Forth Ports has imported millions of tonnes of road salt through the Ports of Leith and Rosyth over the past number of years and this new expansion at the Port of Dundee can accommodate and discharge the large, deep sea bulk transport vessels. The road salt is then loaded onto coastal ships for onward transport to Scotland’s smaller regional harbours and The Port of Aberdeen.

The MV Tina C vessel is a coastal ship which has been being loaded with over 5,000 tonnes of road salt in Dundee for delivery to Aberdeen where councils can then collect the road salt locally.

Road salt is a critical part of Scotland’s councils’ efforts to keep the roads safe throughout the winter period. Thousands of tonnes of road salt, provided by Transport Scotland, are used across the country to keep people and businesses moving when temperatures dip below freezing.

Having salt delivered in bulk to a central location for onward coastal shipping to local ports is a more environmentally friendly move as it significantly reduces the truck road miles and carbon emissions. The shipping of 5,000 tonnes of salt by sea removes approximately 180 vehicles from the road and eliminates 11,000 truck miles on a typical Dundee to Aberdeen route.

Commenting on the project, Kenny Williamson, Senior Sales and Commercial Manager for Forth Ports, said: “The Port of Dundee’s strategic geographical location is perfect for making it the distribution hub for this coastal shipping road salt project. The port can accommodate large bulk vessels (Handymax) with thousands of tonnes of salt and our logistics team manage the discharge, storage and coastal shuttle delivery service by ship to other ports as required. We are delivering to the smaller regional ports and the Port of Aberdeen by ship, which is significantly reducing road truck miles.”   

Shipments of road salt will be made this month to Scotland’s coastal ports to ensure that local council supplies are replenished.

11 January 2023                                 – ends –

The Port of Leith has become the first large mainland commercial port in Scotland to provide a shore power connection, reflecting Forth Ports’ commitment to reducing its own carbon footprint as well as that of its customers.

The Victoria 1, which is currently being provided by the Scottish Government to accommodate Ukrainian refugees, is the first vessel to receive this connection within the Imperial Dock in the Port of Leith. By switching to shore power, the vessel is now able to switch off all of its fossil fuel powered generators, and with Forth Ports’ electricity being provided through non fossil fuel generation, this is a significant step forward on the journey to net zero for the port.

The electrical network in the port has been extended and integrated to the vessel’s systems though a PSW Power & Automation shore power transformer. This setup is being further developed in the port’s Harbour Berth where it will be offered to offshore construction vessels which use Leith as their home port. This further expansion will be online later this month.

The Port of Leith is currently undergoing a major transformation to create Scotland’s largest renewable hub, including the development of a new deep water outer berth which will also be shore power enabled.

David Webster, Director of Energy at Forth Ports said: “As a business we are committed to reducing the emissions from our operations and we are encouraging shipping to do the same. This major civil engineering project to introduce shore power in Leith is a significant milestone for our business in Scotland and we are pleased that the Victoria 1 is now powered by mains electricity. We look forward to offering shore power to our other vessels visiting the port in 2023.”

Minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine, Neil Gray, said: “Scotland has legislated for some of the world’s most ambitious climate change targets and we will be a net zero nation by 2045. This is a great example of business taking action that will benefit us all. We’re grateful for the work undertaken by Forth Ports to make this happen. The MS Victoria is providing safe accommodation for displaced people from Ukraine and it’s an added bonus that it is now powered by mains electricity.”

5 January 2023                                            – ends –

Generous employees at the Port of Tilbury have made a record donation of 122 gifts to Changing Pathways, just in time for Christmas. The business has been supporting the local charity for 10 years with people from across the port providing gifts for women and children to open at Christmas.

Changing Pathways are a domestic abuse charity who work across the areas of Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Rochford, Thurrock, Harlow and Epping Forest.  Changing Pathways provide free and confidential services to support people and their families who are currently experiencing or have previously experienced domestic abuse. They now have refuge accommodation for up to 46 women and their children and also 16 self-contained flats for women and children who are ready to move on from the refuge, or who have older male children.

Paul Dale, Asset and Site Director at the Port of Tilbury said: “The team at the port have again shown the strength of their generosity to Changing Pathways and I want to thank everyone who donated. This is a tough time for a lot of people and we hope that the gifts will bring some festive cheer this Christmas.”

Image: the presents under the tree at the Port of Tilbury’s port office before they were delivered to Changing Pathways.

22 December 2022                                         -Ends-

Sergeant Nigel Morgan from the Port of Tilbury Police, received his well-earned Long Service and Good Conduct Medal this week as he reaches a career milestone of 20 years of policing.

Nigel is a well-known face in the port and the local Tilbury area and has worked at The Port of Tilbury for the whole of his 20-year career so far. Joining the port in 2000, Nigel started work at the specialist Chill Store and then moved into a procurement role before joining the Port Police in 2002. Nigel was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2005, making him the youngest officer to be given the role.

Commenting on his medal award, Sergeant Morgan said: “I can honestly say the last 20 years have absolutely flown past, I have seen many things over those two decades, some extremely upsetting scenes and some absolutely wonderful things.  The skills that I have learned have allowed me to be in a position to have saved people’s lives both on and off duty. 

 “I have always been proud of my achievements and have always tried my best for the Police and for the Port every time I put my uniform on.  I have the best of both worlds. I joined the Police and also get to work in the Port which I love.”

Paul Dale, Asset & Site Director at The Port of Tilbury presented Nigel with his medal at an event at the port attended by Nigel’s close family and his Chief of Police, Matt Bass. Paul Dale said: “Congratulations to Nigel on this impressive two-decade career achievement. I have had the privilege of working with Nigel for a long time and he’s a valuable part of the police team.

 “At the Port of Tilbury, our police team provide a vital service for us both within the port and in the wider community and we are grateful to Nigel for all his hard work over the years.”

21 December 2022                          – ends –

Over 400 people came together in the London Cruise Terminal on Saturday (26 November) for a community Christmas Fair hosted by The Port of Tilbury and the Tilbury Riverside Project.

The Christmas fair had local stall holders selling interesting festive arts and crafts, and the Tilbury Riverside Project served mince pies and drinks. A raffle was held which raised £700 which will be donated to the Tilbury Riverside Project and the Seafarers charity.

There was also a fantastic performance of Christmas carols conducted by the Creative Blast Performing Arts Academy which put everyone into the festive mood.

Commenting on the fair, Paul Dale, Asset & Site Director at The Port of Tilbury said: “It’s always a pleasure to open-up the Cruise Terminal at this time of year for people to come and have a festive drink, a mince pie and a catch up. My thanks to the stallholders, Creative Blast and everyone who came along and supported the event.”

Les Morgan, Chair of the Tilbury Riverside Project said: “The Christmas fair was a great event which was very well attended by local people. It was so nice to have a sit down and catch up with people in person over a mince pie. We are grateful for the donation to our Project from the raffle too as it means we can arrange more events for the local community to enjoy in the future.”

28 November 2022                          – ends-

Forth Ports’ busy container ports in Grangemouth and Tilbury welcomed their new low emission Kalmar straddle carriers this week as part of a multimillion-pound investment in equipment for the Group’s key container terminals. The 12 straddle carriers were shipped from Kalmar’s facility in Poland aboard the specialist vessel the MV Aura which delivered five to the Port of Grangemouth and then sailed down the east coast to the London Container Terminal (LCT) in Tilbury with the remaining seven machines. [NB: see images shared with this release]

 The 12 carriers are the Kalmar ESC440 model is fitted with the latest low emission engine technology which is capable of accommodating a transition to alternative non fossil fuels, the use of alternative fuel types will provide the opportunity to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. They have a 40-tonne load carrying capacity capable of handling the full range of container sizes. The carriers will be fitted with Verified Gross Mass (VGM) weighing capability to weigh the containers. For the straddle carrier driver, the cab is fully air-conditioned and on colder days, it has the latest air suspension heated seat.

The 12 new straddles are part of the Group’s equipment replacement programme. The current fleet at LCT is 36 and 16 in Grangemouth.

Stuart Wallace, Chief Operating Officer said: “Our container terminals in Tilbury and Grangemouth are key shipping and distribution locations and it’s essential that we keep investing in our equipment and infrastructure to ensure that we continue to deliver industry leading service provision. We are always impressed with Kalmar’s straddle carriers and these are our straddle of choice.  These new straddles form part of our multimillion-pound investment in our two busy container ports in Grangemouth and in Tilbury.

We strive to ensure that our customers benefit from our investment and see improved turnaround of vessels, efficient landside service as well on-site access to warehousing and key road and rail links. Upgrading our machinery and plant to low carbon alternatives is at the core of the Forth Green Freeport decarbonisation plan.  It is also a central focus for our operations in Tilbury and across the Thames Freeport.”

Forth Ports is a growing business and they are currently recruiting for a range of roles across the group. For more information on this please go to the career page on the website: Vacancies | Forth Ports

03 November 2022                         -Ends-

Four local primary schools took part in events with the Port of Tilbury as part of Maritime Week to raise awareness about the vital role that the port and marine sector has on our daily lives.

Young children from Landsdowne Primary Academy, Gateway Primary Free School, Tilbury Pioneer Primary and Herringham Primary Academy – which are all part of The Gateway Learning Community in Thurrock – were part of presentations from the port which gave them an insight into how the port operates and some of the interesting machines used to move containers and cargoes from ships. The interactive events encouraged the children to ask lots of questions and they had a drawing activity too.

The port also challenged the children’s creative minds with a competition to think of a name for one of the port’s new harbour cranes which will arrive into the port next year. The winning name will be announced soon and the winning school will receive a prize of lego.

 Commenting on the events, Lucy Emma Harris, Community Liaison Manager at the Port of Tilbury said: “We had a brilliant time talking to the children from the four primary schools this week. They were all really engaged and interested in how goods were imported and exported at the port as well as the local heritage and the port’s connection with the Windrush generation. It’s maritime week so it was a good opportunity to talk to the next generation about the sector and the vital role that it plays and also the career opportunities for them when they get older! My thanks to the schools and the GLC for being part of this.”

14 October 2022                            -ends-

• Babcock International, Forth Ports Group and Scarborough Muir Group outline their transformative vision for the internationally renowned port, shipbuilding, manufacturing and logistics cluster at Rosyth.
• It includes plans for a new freight terminal, offshore renewable manufacturing and green power generating capacity. It will also enable development of large scale advanced manufacturing, skills and innovation onsite, alongside a proposed new rail freight connection. This vision and the associated economic and community benefits will boost Fife and the wider region, if the decision to designate the Forth as a green freeport is secured.

The consortium behind the bid for a Forth Green Freeport unveiled their vision today (10 October) for the major enhancement of the Rosyth port and waterfront areas within Fife.  Babcock International, Forth Ports Group and Scarborough Muir Group’s sites within Rosyth and Burntisland, have the potential to deliver £1bn of investment and an estimated 7,000 new direct green jobs assuming business case approval in the new year.  This will come from the development of nearly 150 hectares of land at Rosyth, identified as part of the prospective Forth Green Freeport.

Working with Fife Council – and other bid partners including City of Edinburgh Council, Falkirk Council, Edinburgh Airport and INEOS – the Forth Green Freeport will deliver high quality green manufacturing and logistics jobs, repurposing existing assets and driving new skills to accelerate a just transition to a low carbon future.  The new, high-quality employment at Rosyth and Burntisland will build upon the existing business supply chain and sector expertise and will help drive regeneration of Mid Fife and beyond, with each port job estimated to be 50% more productive and 40% better paid than the average wage (UK Major Ports Group, 2022).

Newly created Green Freeport jobs at Rosythmainly serve activity such as shipping logistics, advanced manufacturing and shipbuilding, in addition to the assembly of offshore wind and low carbon energy generation.  This will aim to deliver sustainable, inclusive economic growth along the Firth of Forth.  It is a corridor with proven skilled labour markets, business expertise and identified sites, including those at Rosyth, Burntisland and Energy Park Fife in Methil.  Job growth at Rosyth will generate employment and supply chain opportunities beyond the Fife Council area to City of Edinburgh and Falkirk Council areas respectively.  It is expected that Burntisland will be a sister port facility to the newly created Renewables Hub at the Port of Leith, providing further deep water access and local supply chain capability as offshore wind deployment accelerates, with energy and low carbon growth creating new employment opportunities.  Developments at the Port of Rosyth will enhance Scotland’s international connectivity and export capacity through a brand new freight hub.

The Forth Green Freeport bid proposes specific tax and customs sites within Fife at Rosyth and Burntisland, respectively. These are depicted in the enclosed to illustrate the transformational change that accelerated economic growth could have within Fife.  Other identified locations and infrastructure across South West Fife and Mid Fife are also set to benefit and form a key part of the Forth Green Freeport bid.  It was submitted to the UK and Scottish governments for assessment on 20^th June 2022, and in summary seeks to re-industrialise Scotland, create large scale economic development, boost local supply chain growth, skills development and create a world-class manufacturing cluster.  The bid has the potential to generate 50,000 new green jobs across Scotland and act as a catalyst for new green technologies and renewable energy manufacturing, unlocking £6 billion of private and public investment for the country.

The Forth Green Freeport builds on the Port of Rosyth’s strategic position adjacent to the M90, the Queensferry Crossing and national rail network.  Charles Hammond OBE, CEO of Forth Ports Group, commented: “Scotland needs to boost its international connectivity and our plan for new freight hub and rail terminals will offer manufacturers and shippers a fast-track route to global and European markets directly via the North Sea.  Our plan builds upon the recent DFDS announcement, which aims to see the return of a direct daily freight ferry route to northern Europe from Scotland, while offering an alternative to the congested Dover Straits and reducing dependence on road transport, while boosting trade.”

The vision for Rosyth also builds on the recent success at Babcock’s Rosyth facilities.  David Lockwood, CEO Babcock International Group PLC, said: “The Green Freeport would enhance the multi-million pound investment in infrastructure, digitisation and skills at Babcock’s Rosyth facilities over the last decade and underpin our large-scale manufacturing capabilities. It would also complement our work with partners through the Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus – a global centre of excellence for large-scale advanced manufacturing, offering access to the latest industrial techniques and technology, innovation advice and skills development.” 

Ronnie Muir, Director of Scarborough Muir Group, said: “Scotland is on the cusp of a green revolution, with offshore wind providing the catalyst for new, high-quality manufacturing and engineering employment along the Firth energy coast.  

“Queensferry One is one of Scotland’s largest and best-connected strategic employment sites. Located on the Firth of Forth, the 120-acre development site provides an established hub for businesses in the green energy sector looking to scale their operations or improve supply chain efficiencies across the Central Scotland and beyond.

 “Working with the Rosyth’s industrial cluster and innovation partners, Queensferry One will play a major role in delivering the green energy and low carbon logistics objectives of the Forth Green Freeport, while boosting the nation’s trading position.”

On 17^th July 2022, the Danish-owned ferry operator, DFDS, signed an agreement with Ptarmigan Shipping to investigate the possibility of a new freight ferry route between Rosyth and the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. Next year, freight services are targeted to resume.

 Link to animation here: https://vimeo.com/758268395

10 October 2022                                 – ends –