The Port of Grangemouth, Scotland’s largest container facility has enjoyed one of its busiest seasons, with over 50,000 TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units) being handled at the port in the last two months. This four-year high is the result of a buoyant fresh food export season utilising the port’s refrigerated container handling capability which has set Grangemouth on track for record breaking volumes this quarter.
In October and November, the port recorded a 30% increase on refrigerated container volumes year on year and during November alone, the port handled a record 1400 reefers. The bulk of these reefers are being used for the export of Scottish potato seed from farms across Scotland to far flung places around the world including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Morocco. This year sees the potato seed travelling to new countries from Grangemouth, via Rotterdam, to Thailand, China and Namibia.
In 2015 the port’s owner, Forth Ports, invested in extending the electricity supply infrastructure for specialist reefer power supply points due to an increase in customer demand, principally from Scotland’s fresh food exporters, created by a significantly longer season for the shipping of such produce as potatoes, cheese, fish and seafood to markets across the world.
Between October and November we are 30% up on reefer volumes year on year. This is good for the Scottish economy, good for the farming sector and good for business and we’re committed to supporting this growth through our investments in infrastructure and equipment at the Port of Grangemouth.”
About Forth Ports Limited
Forth Ports Limited owns and operates eight commercial ports in the UK – Tilbury on the Thames, Dundee on the Firth of Tay and six on the Firth of Forth – Leith, Grangemouth, Rosyth, Methil, Burntisland and Kirkcaldy.
The Port of Grangemouth operates Scotland's largest container port and handles in excess of 155,000 containers per annum. Regular container services are now available from Grangemouth with frequent daily sailings to Rotterdam, Antwerp, Felixstowe and Hamburg. Most of the major lines utilise these feeder services to link with mother container vessels plying between the world's major ports. Short sea box traffic is also carried on the weekly services for onward transportation to destinations in Europe and Scandinavia. An important base cargo for the container services is the carrying of scotch whisky, but significant business includes chemicals in bulk containers, electronic goods, machinery and manufactured goods. Grangemouth is also Scotland’s largest reefer port principally from Scotland’s fresh food exporters, created by a significantly longer season for the shipping of such produce as potatoes, cheese, fish and seafood to markets across the world.