ABP Ipswich has broken records again as the port welcomed larger vessels and saw a surge in ship calls in 2016, the company said in its press release.
In total, 743 ships called at the port, up eight percent from 2015 figures. This increase aligns with an increase of gross tonnage – a measurement of overall ship capacity – which rose by 13 percent to 2.6 million gross tonnes last year.
Ipswich, which is the UK’s leading export port for agricultural products, has had over £5.4m invested into upgrading facilities and replacing equipment over the last 12 months, including the construction of a new bulk store which is due for completion in April.
Planning and cooperation between the port and marine authorities saw the largest ship to ever call at the port in December. The Dijksgracht, which is 156.93 metres long, arrived at Ipswich with a shipment of 10,500 tonnes of rice from Texas, USA for the Ipswich Grain Terminal.