(Thurrock, 07 August 2020) Two of the UK’s largest port businesses – Forth Ports Group and DP World – today announce a partnership which will submit a joint freeport bid incorporating the Port of Tilbury and DP World London Gateway. As part of the commitment to this joint bid, the partnership announces the appointment of Vivid Economics who will provide expert advice and economic analysis during the process.

The partnership brings together the complementary strengths of the two major ports on the Thames. Together the two port businesses make Thurrock one of the UKs strongest port and distribution clusters.

Both operations in Tilbury and at London Gateway have the scale, global connectivity and the ability to expand and develop land at scale as the market demands. The digitally connected multi-site free trade zone will focus on clean growth while seeking to act as an innovation hub across a range of sectors.

The Thurrock freeport bid will strongly support the area’s employment-focussed growth strategy, positioning Thurrock as the port capital of the UK. The Thurrock economy was worth £4 billion in 2018 and has experienced robust population growth over the past decade. While the area lags behind the surrounding region in wages, skills and employment, the opportunities unlocked by a joint freeport will create significant employment opportunities while delivering on the national levelling-up agenda.

Current unemployment rates in the area are above the national average at 4.6%: up to 36,000 direct and indirect jobs could be created at London Gateway alone, once the site is fully built out. Thurrock’s local economy is already benefitting from port-focused development at Tilbury and London Gateway, with projects at both supporting Thurrock council’s employment objective.

The Port of Tilbury is the largest multi-purpose port serving the South East and is the UK’s fastest-growing port. It is a national export hub surrounded by high-value industrial clusters that would be boosted by freeport status. Utilising the port’s experience of operating a freeport in the recent past (Tilbury held freeport status until 2012), streamlining customs processes and developing new terminals, the port is committed to bid for a designation in Thurrock. The port has invested £1 billion during 2012-20, which has seen it double the size of its business in the past 10 years and is projected to double the volume of cargo across the quay (from 16 million to 32 million tonnes) and increase direct employment (from 3,500 to 12,000 jobs).

DP World London Gateway is the UK’s newest container port, with the DP World Group having invested over £1.5bn to develop a state-of-the-art deep-sea container port and Logistics Park. London Gateway offers flexible, fast supply chain solutions with the ability to handle the largest containers vessels, and boasts 9.25 million sq ft of convenient, modern warehousing space.  DP World will draw upon the Group’s experience in setting up and operating the Middle East’s most important free trade zone at Jebel Ali in Dubai and will implement a secure and safe set of customs and operating processes to ensure port users can take advantage of the full range of customs and financial incentives to offer in order to attract new investment to the UK.

Details of the bid will be developed with Vivid over the coming months with the policy statement by the UK Government expected to be published in the autumn. The timescale for submission of a bid is expected to be towards the end of 2020/early 2021.

Commenting on the announcement: Charles Hammond, Chief Executive of Forth Ports (owner of Port of Tilbury), said: “I am looking forward to working with the team at London Gateway on this submission for freeport status. Thurrock is at the heart of the port industry in the South East and the development hub of the Thames estuary. This joint bid brings together our complementary strengths which will create a strong, export-focused case for a freeport designation. Our appointment of Vivid Economics clearly demonstrates our commitment to creating a compelling submission later this year. Like London Gateway, at Tilbury we have a robust network of international connections, streamlined customs systems and developable land close to key markets. In May this year, we opened the UK’s largest unaccompanied freight ferry terminal at Tilbury2, further strengthening our location to support existing and new business opportunities”

Ernst Schulze DP World UK CEO commented that “We believe a freeport on the Thames will ensure that the UK continues to be an attractive destination for inward investment, and that bringing London Gateway within a freeport will help lower the total cost of trade to the benefit of UK industry and retailers and ensure resilience in the overall supply chain. Working with Forth Ports will enable us to create the most sustainable, strategically located, trade enabling centre of excellence in the UK, whilst allowing us to support the development of local industry and create high skilled employment for the local area”

James Patterson-Waterston, Head of Cities and Infrastructure at Vivid Economics, said “We are excited to apply our knowledge from working in trade and investment across the world to further develop a dynamic and globally competitive freeport in the inner Thames Estuary. Given the substantial trade passing through Thurrock ports currently, this area is clearly a strong candidate for the new wave of ambitious and strategic freeports in the UK. We look forward to working with Forth Ports and DP World to develop a compelling case for freeport designation.”

7 August 2020                                      -ends-

Wilson James, the leading provider of specialist construction logistics services, has announced that it has expanded its warehousing and consolidation capacity into the Port of Tilbury, London’s major port. The new facility augments the company’s existing London Construction Consolidation Centre (LCCC) and helps it to meet the evolving needs of its growing customer base, which requires construction material and equipment to be delivered to site in ever-shorter timeframes.

In 2005, Wilson James created the LCCC in East London, which was the first facility of its kind and redefined best practice in construction logistics. It continues to be ideally located for projects across London and also provides space for contractors to build mock-ups, create quality samples and carry out off-site fabrication. As part of a strategic objective to enhance its distribution and consolidation capacity, and facilitate just in time delivery across the UK, the company assessed all available options and decided that the Port of Tilbury offered the most suitable opportunities for expansion.

Located on the north bank of the River Thames at Tilbury, Essex, the Port of Tilbury is the number one port for construction materials, handling a range of materials from aggregates, specialised dry bulk materials to timber; plywood and forest products as well as bricks, paving and stone. The port is in a prime location for London and the South East, offering easy access to the M25 and the rest of the UK’s national motorway network. The busy port has an annual throughput of 16million tonnes per annum, which is estimated to value around £8.7bn, and cargoes are spread across an estate in excess of 1,000 acres, with five million square feet of undercover warehousing.

‘Put simply, the Port of Tilbury ticked all the boxes,’ explained Keith Winterflood, operations director at Wilson James. ‘As well as being strategically located and boasting state-of-the-art facilities, it makes importation of overseas goods easier for us. Just as importantly, in addition to the excellent transportation links by road and rail, we can improve sustainability across our operation through the use of barges on the River Thames and other waterways.’

This can significantly lower operational carbon emissions and Winterflood continued, ‘50 lorry loads of equipment can fit on one barge and it also gives us the ability to transport large and heavy deliveries, which are normally challenging to accommodate on London roads. When it’s not possible to use the waterways, the Port of Tilbury’s proximity to the M25 allows goods to be dropped off without coming into London, which we can then transport using our fleet of electric and fuel efficient vehicles.’

This announcement closely follows the UK government’s promise to ‘build, build, build’ the UK back to economic health. Achieving this requires a flexible, reliable and robust supply chain and Wilson James expects to have a major role to play. Its expansion into the Port of Tilbury, alongside its LCCC, provides significant operational advantages as it continues to add value and refine existing supply chains during what is predicted to be a busy period for the construction sector.

The Port of Tilbury’s commercial manager, Alison Hall, commented, ‘We are very pleased that Wilson James has chosen the Port of Tilbury as the location for its latest consolidation centre. Our unique combination of transportation links will help Wilson James remove complexity in the supply chain and reduce journey miles, thereby creating a sustainable way to ensure that material and equipment gets to where it needs to be, on time.

‘This is an exciting time for the port as we continue to invest in our infrastructure and open our new port extension Tilbury2 which will home one of the largest construction material terminals in the UK.

‘We look forward to working with Wilson James to provide joint solutions for construction projects and support to its existing supply chains that are keen to gain from the sustainable benefit the port can offer with our unrivalled train, road and sea connections. On average we see a CO₂ saving of 95% compared with road when barging materials on water. Using water for freight transport also significantly removes congestion from London’s roads.’

Update from The Port of Tilbury – 9 July 2020

Following the explosion at the Tilbury Grain Terminal on Friday 3 July, our initial efforts have been concentrated on working with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service to contain and eliminate the fire in the affected area of the silo and to protect the area of the silo which was unaffected by the explosion.

Operations at the silo itself will be closed until at least 31 July and we will provide a further update on this during the month.

Grain handling and storage services however are still available from today (9 July) within the Port of Tilbury for our customers. We have complemented this with a significant quantity of offsite storage which has now been secured to back up quayside handling and storage.

We will continue to service our customer and farming base for both imports and exports of agricultural products to the best of our ability during this period of disruption.

We thank our customers, port team and the emergency services for their continued support to us at this time.

Peter Ward, Commercial Director, The Port of Tilbury

Fort Road and the new Fort Road Bridge in Tilbury reopened at the weekend (4 July) following the successful completion of construction works as part of the Tilbury2 port development. First over the new bridge were the Tilbury2 community group who enjoyed an open top bus ride over the bridge to mark the official opening.

The road was closed in late March as the existing bridge required to be extended to accommodate the new road and rail link to the Tilbury2 port. Contractors GRAHAM completed the works with only a minor delay due to the challenges and restrictions faced during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Thanking the local communities for their support during this road closure, John Speakman, Senior Asset Manager from the Port of Tilbury said: “The reopening of Fort Road and the new bridge is another milestone in the development of our new port, Tilbury2. The local communities have been incredibly supportive during these works and we know that the closure of this busy road will have impacted on people’s regular journeys over the past few months.

Our own port staff have also had to use the diverted route so the reopening will be of great benefit to many people. I want to express my thanks to the local communities for their patience and continued support as we build this new port in Tilbury. I also want to thank the team from GRAHAM who have delivered this new bridge during these challenging times.”

As part of the road and bridge works, the team from GRAHAM delivered the new rail works, pavements, cabling and electrical connections, kerbing and fencing.

Leo Martin, Managing Director of the civil engineering division at GRAHAM, said: “It is with great pleasure that we announce the reopening of Fort Road with the new Fort Road Bridge, which marks another milestone for Tilbury2. Our team have worked incredibly hard to minimise the timescale of the road closure during the project and even in light of COVID-19 restrictions we have managed to deliver the works with only a minor change to the original programme.

“The team at GRAHAM would like to thank all the local communities surrounding the Port of Tilbury for their patience and cooperation during the road closure. The new port will bring significant benefits to the region and we look forward to it being showcased in action in the coming months.”

The road and bridge works are important as the expansion is needed to support the new port Tilbury2 with rising demand for construction materials and aggregates from the UK’s building sector, imported and exported cars, ferry traffic carrying consumer goods, and perishables (food and drink) between Europe and the UK.

6 July 2020                                        – ends –

On the 22 June, the Tilbury on the Thames Trust in partnership with Port of Tilbury usually hold a celebration in the London Cruise Terminal to mark national Windrush Day where 72 years ago, the port played a significant role for the Windrush generation as their arrival point into the UK from their long voyages. This year, the COVID-19 restrictions mean that no events can take place, but both the Tilbury on the Thames Trust and the port wanted to mark the day.

A short video has been created that celebrates the contribution – to the NHS especially – of the Windrush generation and the role of the Port of Tilbury in their arrival in the UK aboard the Empire Windrush into Tilbury 72 years ago on 22nd June 1948.

Watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/430006408/b304efefec  

Commenting on Windrush Day, Stuart Wallace, Chair of Tilbury on the Thames Trust and Chief Operating Officer at Forth Ports said: “We are proud of the part the Port of Tilbury played when the SS Empire Windrush arrived in our port 72 years ago. It is so important to remember the positive impact the Windrush generation played then and now in our local and national culture as well as the role in the beginning of our much-valued NHS which also celebrates its 72^nd anniversary this year.

At the port we will continue to hold events and create educational opportunities for the community for Windrush Day. Although we cannot have a celebration together today as we usually do, we hope we can gather for Windrush Day 2021 here at the port where it all began.”

Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle Price said: “Tilbury is at the heart of Britain’s maritime heritage. On June 22^nd we celebrate the arrival of the Empire Windrush, a landmark event in our nation’s story. In this year as we fight the COVID-19 epidemic, we remember that the Windrush arrived in the same year that the NHS was born and that throughout its history migrant workers have played a massive contribution to our health service. Thank you to all our key workers for keeping our country going throughout lockdown.  And thank you to the Windrush generation who have contributed so much to our nation and its culture.”

Thurrock is proud of its connections with the Empire Windrush. A major celebration was held at the Port of Tilbury in 2018 to mark the 70th Anniversary of its arrival. A summer carnival was held in Tilbury on 20 July 2019 inspired by the local heritage of the area and the role of Tilbury with the Empire Windrush, as well as drawing on the style of the Notting Hill carnival. The project engaged with the local schools and residents of Tilbury, in a programme of educational workshops.

22 June 2020                                    -ends-

While the public gaze and political discourse has been fixed on tackling the coronavirus and preparing for Brexit, one of Britain’s major ports has launched the latest phase to its expanding footprint.

The Port of Tilbury is already the number one port in the UK across a range of cargoes – from construction materials and grain, paper to forestry products – and now it has the country’s largest unaccompanied freight ferry terminal to boot.

On 25th May, P&O’s first vessel, Wilhemine, called at the port’s new terminal on the 160-acre extension site, Tilbury2. The first call marks the rapid transformation of the former power station and the next chapter in the decade long growth of the route to-and-from Zeebrugge.

The switch to a river berth provides significant headroom for growth. P&O can bring in larger vessels, deliver faster vessel turnaround times and – most importantly – get containers and trailers onto an inland barge or the M25 and the motorway network in under an hour.

While this enhanced offering will support further growth through the Zeebrugge route and the possibility to expand into other northern European locations, it also provides a critical low carbon delivery alternative through our new rail connection.

Tens of trains a day transit across Europe to P&O’s terminal at Zeebrugge to feed their services to Britain. This pan European rail network now has a truly worthy UK leg.

In recent years through sustained investment, the Forth Ports Group has decided to resurrect its rail offering. At Tilbury, this has principally been through the creation of a dedicated bulk terminal for movements of aggregates, spoil and cullet glass, and a domestic intermodal offering to south Wales, the North West, The Midlands and Scotland supporting the retail, e-commerce, food and drink markets.

Tilbury2 provides additional capability. The site has a rail terminal capable of loading 775m length trains for both bulk and intermodal trains. This will be integral to the business model of P&O and its customers, and Tarmac, who will occupy the northern section of the site in six months’ time.

Breakdown of supply chains, unpredictable industrial relations and increasing lorry driver shortages has led many to examine the resilience of their delivery options, particularly for vital goods like food, drink and medicines. As the closest major port to Europe’s largest consumer market, Tilbury is the logical outlet in the search for reliability and speed.

As the public demand more action to abate climate change and tackle poor air quality in urban areas, rail delivery has a key role to play. Regardless of short-term depressed consumer and business demand, the legally binding framework to tackle these important matters remains.

The pursuit of net zero carbon emissions and the enshrining of air quality targets in the Environment Bill before Parliament, combined with the UK’s leading global role at the UN’s COP26 summit in Glasgow in November, will only heighten pressure on supply chains to find lower impact solutions.

Truly multi-modal delivery solutions – road, rail and barge – are key ingredients when examining the best way to deliver change throughout supply chains.

Forth Ports Group’s 25 year vision for Tilbury2 commits the port to play a central role in supporting the country’s efforts to achieve net zero through providing genuine multi-modal capability from the outset.

With one eye on the future, it’s important to mention the B word, again. In keeping with the rest of the Port of Tilbury site, the Tilbury2 terminal holds Authorised Economic Operator trusted trader status and will have access to all the border inspection facilities required for additional customs and border checks should they be required. In a sense, the terminal is “Brexit ready”, whatever the outcome of the EU-UK negotiations.

Forth Ports Group is the owner of the Port of Tilbury and seven ports on the Forth and Tay.

Tilbury2 received development consent from the secretary of state for transport in February 2019 to build Tilbury2 – a 160-acre site adjacent to the existing 930-acre site in Thurrock, on the outskirts of Greater London.

When fully operational, the £200m Tilbury2 project will comprise:

• a roll on/roll off ferry terminal for importing and exporting containers and trailers to northern Europe, in partnership with P&O Ferries
• a facility for importing, processing, manufacturing and distributing construction materials, in partnership with Tarmac
• a strategic rail terminal which can accommodate the longest freight trains of 775m
• storage areas for a variety of goods, including exported and imported cars
• trusted trader Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) accredited and will employ the latest border technology, such as number plate recognition.

The project is central to the Port of Tilbury’s £1 billion investment programme during 2012-20, which has seen it double the size of its business in the past 10 years and is projected to double the volume of cargo across the quay (from 16 million to 32 million tonnes) and increase direct employment (from 3,500 to 12,000 jobs).

The coronavirus pandemic has brought the UK’s vulnerabilities to the fore. However, breakdown presents an opportunity for breakthrough to create a more resilient UK through COVID-19 recovery, writes Charles Hammond, chief executive of the Forth Ports Group.

With the end of the Brexit transition – or negotiating – period six months away, the need for purpose is clearer than ever.

Having just completed the construction of a new £250 million Brexit-ready and COVID-19 compliant freight ferry terminal – Tilbury2 – at London’s major port, the opportunities are boundless.

But in order to deliver cathartic and lasting change, we need resolute purpose from the UK government. Similar to the vision to establish the net zero commitment, the country needs a national resilience strategy.

What do I mean by this? We need a long-term strategy underpinned by in-depth analysis that examines a range of weaknesses, from the frailties of our supply chains, future skills shortages to the residual capability required to maintain critical supplies – whether medical or industrial equipment – in times of extreme need.

A realistic look at the country’s Achilles’ heel(s) in the face of a variety of headwinds, from geopolitical factors to natural disasters. All backed up by sustained action to address identified weaknesses.

Amidst the terrible human impact and long-term economic consequences of the coronavirus epidemic, one of the few upsides of the current lockdown has been an improved environment and wholesale commitment to tackling climate change, and a focus on the efficiency and resilience throughout supply chains.

Greater flexibility in the workplace through harnessing the use of technology, reducing fuel consumption and the widespread examination of commercial space will remain a focus for businesses going forward.

These issues have been well discussed, yet the resilience of complex continental-wide supply chains has received far less attention.

Whether BP or the logistics sector, there’s a growing belief that the COVID-19 pandemic will bring major changes and accelerate the transition to a lower carbon world.

Breakdown of production lines, unpredictable industrial relations and increasing pan-European lorry driver shortages have led many in the logistics industry to examine the reliability of their current delivery options.

In the coming months, the Government and freight industry have a unique opportunity to recalibrate the public policy, regulatory and fiscal system to deliver sustained investment in low carbon infrastructure that supports coastal communities.

As we approach the end of the transition period and move towards a net zero future, the effort to scrutinise the financial, human and environmental cost of moving components, goods and materials across Europe and further afield will heighten.

Is it sustainable for millions of lorries to funnel through an unpredictable pinch-point in northern France, stack up through Kent, crawl across the Thames and around the M25?

The UK’s membership of the EU single market and customs union has brought many benefits, but it has distorted the freight market.

The deep irony is that Brexit is unlikely to be the fission that delivers the lasting change that many anticipated.

With passengers largely disappearing from ferries across the North Sea, The Channel and the Irish Sea, the coronavirus epidemic has completely changed the dynamics of the logistics industry.

In the absence of a cross-subsidy from passengers to freight units, greater exposure of the true end-to-end cost of moving goods is emerging.

Combine this with the need to abate climate change, reduce road congestion, tackle poor air quality and level up the economies of the regions, the momentum for change is growing. All points identified in the UK’s latest strategy, Maritime 2050.

Unlike the borough of Thurrock – “the ports capital of the UK” – many port towns and coastal communities have turned away from the original source of their wealth, but that can change.

By bringing goods closer to the point of consumption or production, we could and should see new ferry and container shipping routes springing up. Combine this positive with the greater use of rail for inward distribution, unaccompanied freight is the answer to a number of the questions of our time.

This is the vision we have for the ports across our group at Forth Ports serving the key business and consumer markets in the South East, London and east coast of Scotland.

At ports across the country, container and ferry berth capacity exists, alongside an appetite to tackle this national challenge. In effect, reinventing the ship.

Our new feeder service from the country’s most advanced deep-sea container port, London Gateway, to Scotland’s road, rail and sea freight hub at Grangemouth is a clear demonstration of how the market is shifting.

Tranship direct from a European or UK hub port via a coastal feeder vessel – eliminating the long domestic road leg and the logistics industry’s dependency on a diminishing pool of drivers willing to transit across Europe – by utilising an unaccompanied ferry or container freight route.

Over the past decade, Department for Transport figures show a 39 per cent increase in the number of unaccompanied freight units leaving the UK to Europe.

The modal switch to unaccompanied trailers and short-sea containers will be accelerated by Brexit as this type of operation is more aligned to the requirements of new customs and associated cargo checks on arrival or departure from the UK.

The queues of lorries at Channel ports this week are testament to the fact that unaccompanied freight movements align with COVID-19 regulations, as they reduce the risk to driver-to-driver contact on ferries or train and the need for additional paperwork.

The paradigm shift for the UK is simply about moving away from a problem-based approach to a solution-based approach.

Ashley Nicholson from Forth Ports has been appointed President of the UK Harbour Masters Association (UKHMA). Ashley, who takes on the role today (10 June), is the first female to hold the title and she is the youngest certificated Harbour Master in the UK to hold the role with the UKHMA.

The UK Harbour Masters Association is the world’s oldest and largest Harbour Master Association consists of approximately 480 Harbour Masters and Port professionals from ports across the UK, both publicly and privately owned and represents a unique source of relevant experience in a range of port and marine operations. The main objective of the association, which was formed in 1993, is to encourage the safe and efficient conduct of marine operations in ports and engage with, advise and consult the UK Government and associated Maritime Agencies.

Ashley became a full member of the UKHMA in 2011 and was raised to the Executive Council, then progressing to the position of Vice President and subsequently President elect during 2018. From 10 June 2020, she will serve as President for two years succeeding out-going President Julian Seaman, the Harbour Master/Marine Director Shoreham Port.

Commenting on her appointment as President, Ashley Nicholson said: “I am honoured to hold the title of President of the UKHMA and I will strive to continue the excellent work of my predecessors in representing the harbour masters of the UK and encourage and grow the association whilst continuing to provide a valuable return to the Harbour Mastering community.”

Ashley has worked for Forth Ports for nearly 12 years starting her career with the port group as VTS (Vessel Traffic Service) Operator and since 2017 she has been the Senior Harbour Master based in Grangemouth. Ashley is the youngest certified Harbour Master in the UK. She previously won the prestigious Scottish Engineering / Incorporation of Hammermen of Glasgow Award for the role she played in managing the marine operations during the construction of the new Queensferry Crossing in the River Forth and recently received the Women in Industry award for the first time at the CeeD (Centre for Engineering Education and Development) Industry Awards 2020 for her continued efforts to drive the change required to ensure a more gender diverse workforce within the maritime sector.

Martin Willis Executive Officer of the UKHMA said: “On behalf of Julian Seaman, the out-going Association President and the full membership of the UKHMA, we welcome Ashley as the newly elected President of the Association and wish her all success in the role. Ashley has been appointed by her industry peers entirely on merit and richly deserves the honour to lead our highly regarded professional organisation and shall undertake the role as the lead representative of the Association with great confidence, assurance and the full support  of all members of the UK Harbour Masters Association during the term of her Presidency.”

Captain Alan McPherson, Chief Harbour Master at Forth Ports said: “This is great news for Ashley and on behalf of all her colleagues at Forth Ports, we congratulate her on her Presidency. As a business we know how important it is to support the development of key members of our Marine team and Ashley’s appointment to President reflects that professional and career development achievement.”

ENDS                        

Tilbury2’s brand new unaccompanied* freight ferry terminal opened for business this week at a vital time for the UK’s freight industry. The 500,000-unit freight-only facility will inject state-of-the-art capacity into the country’s ports sector by utilising a truck driver-free operation* at a time when infection control is uppermost in everyone’s minds. [*Unaccompanied – freight transported into the UK without truck drivers]

After a year of construction, led by construction giants GRAHAM, the country’s newest and largest unaccompanied freight roll on/roll off (ro-ro) terminal, located at the edge of London, will operate in exclusive partnership with P&O Ferries. The first ship to use the fully operational terminal was P&O’s chartered freight ferry the Norstream. Watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/423067160

The bespoke terminal will import and export containers and trailers with vital supplies for the UK, including food, drink and medicines to and from continental Europe on P&O’s busy Tilbury-Zeebrugge freight route.

The new ro-ro terminal is part of a £250 million investment by owner, Forth Ports, which is creating a brand-new port, Tilbury2. The terminal is trusted trader Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) accredited and embraces the latest booking and border technology, such as number plate recognition, which ensures that the terminal is Brexit-ready to continue the smooth passage of goods, regardless of the eventual EU-UK settlement. The marine works for the new ro-ro terminal were completed in April and successful ship trials were carried out on 17 May.

Commenting on the opening, Charles Hammond, Group Chief Executive of Forth Ports, said: “This is an important time for the UK as we emerge from the lockdown. Our new freight terminal is the country’s most modern ferry port offering a seamless and lower carbon route to the biggest consumer market in Europe, Greater London. Despite the current challenges we have delivered a resilient terminal with significant headroom to grow as we pursue our vision of being the nation’s strategic freight gateway to-and-from Europe. We believe that this terminal opening is a symbol of hope for economic recovery.”

Maritime Minister, Kelly Tolhurst said: “Barely a year since getting the green light from my Department, the opening of the Tilbury2 unaccompanied ferry terminal really is a landmark moment for this major infrastructure project. It is a great testimony to all those who worked on the build that it has been finished and opened, despite the current challenges facing the maritime sector. The new terminal will provide more capacity and jobs at a vital time, when our world-leading ports will be at the forefront of the UK’s economic recovery.”

Paul Dale, Asset & Site Director at the Port of Tilbury, said: “The switch to a river berth provides significant growth opportunities. P&O can bring in larger vessels, deliver faster vessel turnaround times and – most importantly – get containers and trailers onto an inland barge or the motorway network in under an hour. While this enhanced offering will support further growth through the Zeebrugge route and the possibility to expand into other northern European locations, it also provides a critical low carbon delivery alternative through our new rail connection.”

Janette Bell, Chief Executive of P&O Ferries, said: “After the successful ship trials just over a week ago at Tilbury2, P&O Ferries is delighted that the driver-free freight ferry terminal is operational.  This terminal will significantly increase the speed of our services and improve access to the M25 for our customers who carry important consumer and industry goods, such as detergents and pharmaceuticals, building materials and fertiliser, wine and beer and cosmetics. We look forward to developing all of the opportunities this terminal has to offer for our customers.”

Leo Martin, Managing Director, Civil Engineering at GRAHAM, said: “The opening of the Tilbury2 ferry freight terminal is a major development in the Port of Tilbury’s expansion and will support economic growth at a local, regional and national level. We are extremely proud to have played our part in the construction of such an important infrastructure project, which will undoubtedly unlock further potential for freight transportation between the UK and mainland Europe.”

Robin Mortimer, Chief Executive of the Port of London Authority said: “It’s fantastic to see Tilbury2’s ferry terminal completed and operational.  Forth Ports’ investment in its Thames operations is creating the sustainable, resilient operations on which the country depends.  Tilbury2 is set to play a key role from day one and is a major growth opportunity for the future.”

Tilbury2 is a new port at the former Tilbury Power Station on the north bank of the River Thames on the outskirts of London. When fully operational later this year, Tilbury2 will be the UK’s largest unaccompanied freight ferry port, the country’s biggest construction processing hub and will see the creation of a new significantly larger rail head which can accommodate the longest freight trains of 775 metres.

More about Tilbury 2

Tilbury2 received development consent from the Secretary of State for Transport in February 2019 to build Tilbury2 – the new multimillion-pound port terminal adjacent to the current 930-acre site in Thurrock, on the outskirts of Greater London.

The £250m Tilbury2 project consists of the construction of a new port terminal and associated facilities and once fully open, Tilbury2 will comprise:

• A roll on/roll off ferry terminal for importing and exporting containers and trailers to northern Europe, in partnership with P&O Ferries
• A facility for importing, processing, manufacturing and distributing construction materials
• A strategic rail terminal which can accommodate the longest freight trains of 775m
• Storage areas for a variety of goods, including exported and imported cars.
• The site will be trusted trader Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) accredited and will employ the latest border technology, such as number plate recognition.

The project is central to the Port of Tilbury’s £1 billion investment programme during 2012-20, which has seen it double the size of its business in the past 10 years and is projected to double the volume of cargo across the quay (from 16 million to 32 million tonnes) and increase direct employment (from 3,500 to 12,000 jobs).

27 May 2020                                   -ends-

The country’s newest and largest unaccompanied* freight roll on/roll off (ro-ro) terminal at Tilbury2 took a step closer to opening with the successful completion of ship trials at the weekend. [*Unaccompanied – freight transport without truck drivers]

Two of P&O’s chartered freight ferry fleet, the Bore Song and the Norstream, arrived at the new ro-ro terminal on the Thames on Sunday 17 May where the port team carried out a full test of the marine facilities including manoeuvring and tying up the ship to test the berth; lowering the ship’s ferry ramp to test the pontoon facilities; and carrying out a full risk assessment. The ship trial was deemed a success with a smooth execution of all the test points being achieved [see link to video here: https://vimeo.com/419827832].

The ferry terminal, which is due to open next week, has a capacity of 500,000 units and will operate in partnership between the port and P&O Ferries importing and exporting containers and trailers with food, drink, medicines and other vital supplies to-and-from Europe.

Commenting on reaching this milestone, Charles Hammond, Group Chief Executive of Forth Ports, said: “I am extremely proud that we have reached this point with our new port. We are in unprecedented times, both in the UK and globally, and this new unaccompanied terminal at Tilbury2 will ensure that we keep the vital supplies coming into the country as safely as possible, not just now but long into the future. Being a freight only terminal ensures that there is less risk of driver infection and exposure for our own quay workers at the port. The additional capacity of 500,000 units with streamlined customs procedures will enhance national economic resilience I would like to thank our excellent team for achieving this milestone in such challenging times.”

Tilbury2 is a new port at the former Tilbury Power Station on the north bank of the River Thames on the outskirts of London. When fully operational, Tilbury2 will be the UK’s largest unaccompanied freight ferry port, the country’s biggest construction processing hub and will see the creation of a new significantly larger rail head which can accommodate the longest freight trains of 775metres.

Janette Bell, Chief Executive of P&O Ferries, said: “The successful ship trial at Tilbury2 means that P&O Ferries will soon be able to offer customers even more choice when it comes to moving goods punctually, efficiently and reliably between Britain and Europe. The new berth will make our service faster and will guarantee that goods from Europe can be unloaded and continue their journey onto the M25 before the rush hour – a significant benefit for our customers. Tilbury2 will further strengthen the unrivalled connectivity we offer our customers along the entire east coast of England and demonstrates our commitment to making trade flow during this crisis and beyond.”

Peter Ward, Commercial Director at the Port of Tilbury, said: “The ship trial at the weekend marks an important milestone for the T2 project. We started construction in Spring 2019 and working with GRAHAM, we are on track to open the first part of the port next week. The marine works were an important part of the project and included constructing a floating pontoon, link-span/articulated bridge, pilings and riverbed preparation for the berth. My thanks to the team at GRAHAM and P&O and the PLA for supporting us with these trials.”

Robin Mortimer, Chief Executive of the Port of London Authority said: “The successful ship trial at Tilbury2 is a major milestone for operations on the Thames.  On the doorstep of the UK’s major consumer market, this is the logical place for new marine infrastructure, adding further resilience to supply chains which is essential in these challenging times.”

The marine works for the new ro-ro terminal were completed in April by GRAHAM who are constructing both the marine and land side of the new £200m, 160-acre port.

Leo Martin, Managing Director, Civil Engineering at GRAHAM, said: “The completion of the first ship trial at Tilbury2 is very exciting news for the project. We were proud to be selected for both the terrestrial and marine packages of works, and the size and scale of the development, whilst challenging, has been very rewarding for our team to be involved in. We’re now looking forward to the opening of the ferry terminal and seeing both our and the Port of Tilbury’s hard work coming to fruition.”

More about Tilbury 2

Tilbury2 received development consent from the Secretary of State for Transport in February 2019 to build Tilbury2 – the new multimillion-pound port terminal adjacent to the current 930-acre site in Thurrock, on the outskirts of Greater London.

The £200m Tilbury2 project consists of the construction of a new port terminal and associated facilities and once fully open, Tilbury2 will comprise:

• A roll on/roll off ferry terminal for importing and exporting containers and trailers to northern Europe, in partnership with P&O Ferries
• A facility for importing, processing, manufacturing and distributing construction materials
• A strategic rail terminal which can accommodate the longest freight trains of 775m
• Storage areas for a variety of goods, including exported and imported cars.
• The site will be trusted trader Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) accredited and will employ the latest border technology, such as number plate recognition.

The project is central to the Port of Tilbury’s £1 billion investment programme during 2012-20, which has seen it double the size of its business in the past 10 years and is projected to double the volume of cargo across the quay (from 16 million to 32 million tonnes) and increase direct employment (from 3,500 to 12,000 jobs).

18 May 2020                                           -ends-