ABP’s Port of Ipswich has had a record-breaking year in 2015
ABP’s Port of Ipswich has had a record-breaking year in 2015, welcoming an impressive 690 visiting ships - the highest number of ship calls to the port in the last three years.
Following a year of investment and drive to encourage growth in the local economy, the port, which is the UK’s largest grain exporting port, received on average 13 ships a week last year.
These figures are a 13.5 per cent increase from 2014 when 606 vessels entered the port. Since 2013, the port has been growing busier with a staggering 23 per cent increase of ships calling at Ipswich, reaffirming the port’s ideal location for the Suffolk community and economy.
ABP East Anglia Port Manager, Alastair MacFarlane said: “The Port of Ipswich continues to be a key element of the agricultural supply chain in East Anglia.
“Not only are locally grown crops such as wheat and barley exported through our port, but we are the principal port for fertiliser and animal feed imports which are important to Suffolk’s farming community.”
In 2015, the port also saw a strong growth in the construction sector, with customers importing higher volumes of aggregates and cement, with bricks and timber continuing to be an important component of the ports trade.
Last year, ABP invested £2.2 million at Ipswich to develop the Orwell Bulk Terminal, providing more storage space at Cliff Quay for customers importing or exporting bulk cargoes. It was also an opportunity to invest in solar panelling as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to utilise eco-friendly electricity on ABP’s port estates.
Despite only being in operation since May, these solar panels installed on the Orwell Bulk Terminal have already generated 66,500 kilowatts hours of electricity – the equivalent of boiling nine million kettles, or generating one hour of power to 1.1 million light bulbs.
ABP Short Sea Ports Director, Andrew Harston, said: “2015 has proved to be another busy year for the Port of Ipswich.”
“I would like to thank our ABP staff, and most importantly, our customers for trusting the Port of Ipswich with their business. We look forward to another busy year in 2016 and increasing the number of ship visits again.”
