TruckandTrackAutumn2019

www.truckandtrack.com Autumn 2019 Truck and Track 75 PORTS As the UK’s leading port operator, handling one quarter of the nation’s seaborne trade, ABP remains committed to making sure its ports offer the best services and facilities to customers. A key building block of this is ABP’s continuous investment in improving port infrastructure and facilities, which has seen ABP’s ports in East Anglia, Ipswich, King’s Lynn and Lowestoft go from strength to strength. A great example of recent investment is when ABP partnered with international grain, seed and fertiliser company COFCO International UK, earlier this year, to host an official ceremony to unveil a new fertiliser bagging and packaging plant at the Port of Ipswich. Representing an investment of £700,000, the new plant is based in the port’s Coldock Bulk Bagging Terminal, a location which allows COFCO to increase the range of fertilisers offered to UK farmers, develop new products and improve distribution efficiency. Presiding over the ceremony was Clare FitzRoy, Countess of Euston, who is also the President of the Suffolk Agricultural Association and was appointed as the first female Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk in December 2014. Other guests of honour included BBC Countryfile’s well-known presenter Adam Henson who was the keynote speaker at the event. The delivery of the new plant marks the completion of the latest phase of a £2million investment project which has seen ABP create new jobs and purchase two high speed container bagging lines, which will primarily be used for fertiliser handling. The ceremony was also attended by ABP’s CEOHenrik Pedersen, the UK Managing Director of COFCO International UK, Mark Dordery and ABP’s Short Sea Ports Director, Andrew Harston. Andrew Harston, ABP Short Sea Ports Director, said: “We were delighted to be able to announce this latest investment in value- adding port facilities which will help grow the business of our customer, COFCO International UK. “Together with ABP’s other two East Anglian ports of Lowestoft and King’s Lynn, Ipswich plays a vital role in supporting the regional economy and local jobs and we look forward to continuing to do so in future.” Mark Dordery, COFCO International UK Managing Director, said: “The new facilities at Ipswich are key in helping us develop our range of fertiliser products and services for our growing customer- base across East Anglia and into the whole of the UK. “Growers face increasing challenges to produce crops as cost- effectively as possible to meet consumer demands whilst being increasingly aware of environmental requirements. “The modern and highly efficient facilities at the new plant will help us refine our current fertiliser products whilst allowing us to develop and introduce exciting new options including Limus Nitrogen Management, BASF’s latest urea inhibitor technology, to help UK growers achieve greater production efficiency in the future.” ABP’s other ports in East Anglia have also benefitted from recent investments, including a new £670,000 pilot boat, ‘Kingfisher’ in Lowestoft and a £400,000 refurbishment investment to enhance storage capacity at the Port of King’s Lynn. At the same time, reducing the carbon footprint of operations remains high on ABP’s list of priorities. As a prime example of this, earlier this year, ABP announced an investment of more than £120,000 in a new fleet of electric vans to be deployed at its East Anglian Ports of Lowestoft, Ipswich and King’s Lynn. The new six ‘Renault Kangoo ZE’ electric vans are part of ABP’s ongoingvehiclereplacementprogrammetomakeoveralloperations more environmentally sustainable by reducing emissions from vehicle exhausts. Four of the new vehicles were allocated to the Port of Ipswich, with the remaining two being shared between the Ports of King’s Lynn and Lowestoft. Nevertheless, they will be able to travel between each of the three East Anglian ports on a single charge. The introduction of this new fleet of electric vehicles to our East Anglian ports is part of ABP’s five year plan to develop sustainable sources of power and reduce our overall carbon footprint. The new vans will reduce emissions and help improve local air quality, whilst also helping us to operate more efficiently. Together with ABP’s ISO50001 certification, this investment demonstrates that all aspects of energy efficiency, fuel types and air quality are taken into consideration when new equipment purchasing decisions are made. In 2018, the Port of Ipswich generated 970MWh of electricity from its solar panel installations, which would be enough to power 300 electric vehicles for an average of 10,000 miles a year. Alan Tinline, ABP Head of Environment, said: “We are proud of our teams in East Anglia who have worked tirelessly to make their ports’ operations more sustainable in recent years. As one of East Anglia’s major employers, we are keen to play an active role is securing the region’s greener future.” Thus, it is easy to see why ABP’s ports in East Anglia are the preferred choice of customers across different industries, from farmers to cargo handlers and offshore energy companies. They are efficient, well-connected and benefit from ABP’s investment programme to ensure that businesses can continue to help the economy grow and keep Britain trading. ABP continues to invest in its East Anglian Ports to provide the best for its customers & keep Britain trading AndrewHarston, Director, Wales & Short Sea Ports, Associated British Ports, speaks at the Pilot Boat Kingfisher’s naming ceremony, at The Port of Lowestoft, Suffolk, on 16-July-2019 ABP Ipswich new bagging and blending facility New bagging and packaging plant