The Port of Tilbury’s annual community Open Day, held on Saturday 9^th May was a big success with hundreds of local people joining the port team at the London Cruise Terminal for a day of celebration in the sunshine.

A day of free events proved very popular and attendees were treated to vintage bus tours of the port and ecology site tours of Tilbury2. Also, as part of the multimillion-pound restoration of the Railway Station, the community were invited to a behind the scenes, hard hat tour of the works to see for themselves the scale of the project which is due for completion next year.

The Open Day also included a makers market, food and drink stalls, fairground games, performances by local singing community groups – Starmakers Choir and Arts Outburst, and a chance to see the port’s plant and machinery up close. Stallholder’s fees were all donated to local charities.

Paul Dale, Chief Operating Officer from Forth Ports and Chair of Tilbury on the Thames Trust said: “We were thrilled to see so many people come along to the open day at the weekend and we enjoyed showing the community behind the scenes of our busy port. The event team and volunteers did a great job hosting the day and my personal thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this a big success. I also want to thank the community for joining us and we hope to see you all again next year.”

Scotland’s largest port, Grangemouth is celebrating the 60^th anniversary of the first container vessel to call into the UK with a further £8 million investment boost in the port’s infrastructure and equipment.

On the 7^th May 1966, the Sea-land freight service called into Grangemouth as part of the Europe and American shipping route transporting mostly Scotch whisky for onward travel to the USA. Grangemouth was the only UK port in the rotation making Grangemouth’s container terminal the first port in the UK to handle goods in this way, with the subsequent development of containerisation changing the way cargo was transported around the world.

Sea-land launched the transatlantic container ship route in April 1966 with four ships in service, each carrying 226 containers with cargoes of cameras, safety razors and pre-fab housing complements. The weekly route was the first transatlantic ship carrying only containers and called at Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Baltimore, Maryland, in the US, then Rotterdam, Bremen and Grangemouth.

Over the past 60 years, the port has developed through significant investment and is now Scotland’s largest container port and logistics hub covering an area of 402 acres employing 280 people and is home to 32 businesses within the port. The port is a multimodal facility and is primarily an export port moving Scottish goods to global locations.  Since 1966, the container terminal has handled in excess of 4.2million containers and today its operations manage more than £6 billion worth of goods each year including food and drink, construction products and renewables.

To mark the anniversary, the port is planning to hold a port open day for the community and are working with schools on a project involving the local young people helping the port to name their new harbour crane.

Commenting on the diamond anniversary, Derek Knox, Regional Director, Scotland said: “This is a significant milestone in the history of the port of Grangemouth. Over the past 60 years the port has changed and adapted to meet the changing needs of our customers and markets through investment in not only our infrastructure and equipment, but in our skills. Grangemouth has grown to become Scotland’s largest container port and logistics hub and makes a major contribution to the economy of Scotland. We look forward to continuing to play our part in Scotland’s success for the next 60 years!”

Craig Torrance, Asset Manager for the Port of Grangemouth said: “Grangemouth has changed significantly over the past 60 years from the size of vessels, a move to more sustainable handling equipment, health & safety priorities and people skills. A stevedore from 60 years ago would not recognise the port of today although some things have not changed, we still maintain the same customer focus that we did all those years ago and we still export a lot of whisky from Grangemouth!”

Also happening 60 years ago in 1966:

• The BBC began to broadcast in colour
• Harold Wilson was the UK Prime Minister
• The first credit card was launched in the UK
• The last UK concert by the Beatles
• James Bond’s Thunderball was the number one box office film
• Manfred Man’s Pretty Flamingo was number one (on 7^th May 1966)
• And England won the football world cup!

GeoPura and Forth Ports have signed a landmark agreement to produce green hydrogen on site at the Port of Tilbury starting this year. This plant will support the decarbonisation of one of the UK’s most important logistics hubs and position Tilbury among the first major British ports to host commercial-scale hydrogen production for heavy industrial use.

Enabled by £2m of Thames Freeport seed capital, the project will support the decarbonisation of port operations and establish Tilbury as a testbed for low-carbon fuel use in heavy industry.

This project demonstrates how Thames Freeport is using targeted public investment to support innovation in live operational environments, helping businesses adopt new technologies and accelerate decarbonisation across logistics and industrial activity.

Under a 10-year agreement, with an option to extend, GeoPura is developing an initial 1MW low carbon hydrogen production plant at Tilbury. The facility will generate hydrogen via electrolysis which is planned to be powered by on-site solar panels, creating a secure, locally produced supply of zero emission fuel for port operations and the wider Thames Estuary. This will also bring significant investment and skilled green jobs, supporting the skills transition and long-term capability in hydrogen production to the area.

The UK Government has a goal to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Transportation accounts for over a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions, including heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and non-road mobile machinery. As a major port operator, Forth Ports is looking for new and innovative sustainable solutions to ensure effective energy transition as it works towards its goal to become net zero by 2042.

Tilbury handles millions of tonnes of cargo each year. The diverse operations utilise an array of plant and equipment, including reach stackers, forklifts and HGV tractor units to keep goods moving. Decarbonising these operations presents an opportunity, not only to reduce carbon emissions, but also to improve local air quality and protect worker health.

Andrew Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of GeoPura, said the Tilbury project builds on the company’s track record of repurposing strategic industrial sites to produce low carbon fuel: “Following on from our work at HyMarnham Power, where we’re transforming a former coal fired power station into a large scale low carbon hydrogen production site, Tilbury is another powerful example of how the UK can use its existing industrial infrastructure to produce renewable fuels for the future.

“It’s great to see the clear commitment of the Port of Tilbury to decarbonise its operations. It’s a perfect location to support hydrogen adoption across the Thames Estuary, improving air quality and creating new high quality clean energy UK jobs.”

The decision to establish the facility comes after GeoPura was awarded the contract to supply 2,5000 tonnes of hydrogen to the Lower Thames Crossing, one of the UK’s most significant infrastructure schemes. The new facility will support the project’s goal of becoming the first major project in the UK to be carbon neutral in construction by replacing over 12 million litres of diesel, and strengthen the resilience of its supply chain by providing a secure, strategically located source of clean fuel to support construction activity at scale.

David Webster, Regional Director –Tilbury, commented: “Forth Ports has a track record of delivering market-leading solutions across low-carbon logistics, sustainable construction and on-site power generation as we pursue our intentionally ambitious goal of becoming a net zero carbon emissions operation by 2042. We are excited to be working with the GeoPura team to deliver green hydrogen generation which represents another significant step on this journey.”

GeoPura brings established production and delivery capability to the project. Through its involvement in HyMarnham Power, the company is already developing large scale low carbon hydrogen production in the UK, alongside its growing fleet of hydrogen power units deployed across construction, infrastructure and broadcast projects nationwide.

Stuart Rimmer Interim, CEO of Thames Freeport, said: “Hydrogen has a clear role in decarbonising heavy industry and logistics. By supporting this demonstrator at Tilbury, Thames Freeport are demonstrating clear leadership in this area and helping create the conditions for wider adoption, new investment and skilled jobs across the region. This project shows how freeport programmes can bring together industry partners to test and scale new technologies in real operating environments”.

This marks the start of the Port’s hydrogen adoption journey, opening up future use cases as hydrogen production scales and demand grows across port operations, logistics and the wider region.

By combining renewable electricity, electrolysis and practical end use applications at Tilbury, GeoPura and the Port are creating a scalable model for industrial decarbonisation. The project will support skilled green jobs in engineering and operations, stimulate the regional hydrogen supply chain and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.

As the UK advances towards its target of up to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, the Port of Tilbury initiative provides a tangible example of how hydrogen can decarbonise critical national infrastructure while delivering measurable environmental and public health benefits.

The month of October marks Black History Month. As we come to the end of the month, we wanted to spotlight the history of Windrush Day and its connection to Forth Ports.

76 years ago, the HMT Empire Windrush docked at the Port of Tilbury with passengers from across the Caribbean, to start a new life in the United Kingdom.

We would like to reach out to schools and youth organisation groups and share our Windrush education pack, providing information on the story and the rich history behind it.

If you are making preparations for Windrush day 2025, we would like to highlight the education pack which can be found at the links below

Windrush Foundation – KS2 Lesson Plans for Studying the Empire Windrush and Caribbean migration

70 Windrush Pioneers and Champions

If you require any further information, please contact engagement@forthports.co.uk.

Photo Credit : Ageless Teenagers

We are thrilled to share that we won the Supply Chain Impact Award at the recent RenewableUK Global Offshore Wind Awards, for our significant impact on developing the supply chain.

Forth Ports Limited is implementing an offshore wind, multi-port infrastructure strategy to address the UK’s port capacity challenges and significantly contribute to supply chain development, supporting the UK’s offshore wind ambitions.

This proactive investment ensures that the UK can support developer projects and instil market confidence in the supply chain, with the necessary infrastructure to deploy offshore wind at both scale and pace.

Infrastructure is the backbone of any industrial cluster. Our purpose-built port infrastructure not only captures project activity and fosters supply chain development but also facilitates the creation of manufacturing facilities. This presents a tremendous opportunity for the UK to transform project-based offshore wind activities into a long-term, sustainable industry, benefiting the green industrialisation of the UK and future generations.

As Christmas fast approaches, the London International Cruise Terminal in Tilbury held its Christmas Fair for the community at the weekend (19 November). The event, which is in its third year, has grown from strength to strength showcasing the talents of over 50 stall holders, each contributing to the festive atmosphere with an array of beautifully handcrafted items.

The Christmas Fair is well supported by local crafters, with many of the stall holders based in the Thurrock area. The hundreds of visitors who came along were treated to a treasure trove of handcrafted gifts, from exquisite decorations to unique, locally made items. The fair not only provides a platform for these talented crafters but also fosters a sense of community pride in supporting local businesses.

The Tilbury Riverside project added to the holiday cheer serving complimentary coffee, tea, sherry and of course mince pies. The atmosphere was very jolly with hundreds of local people coming along to catch up and enjoy the festivities.

Paul Dale, Asset and Site Director from the Port of Tilbury said: “The Christmas fair raised over £1500 which will benefit both the Tilbury Riverside Project and St Luke’s Hospice. This fantastic achievement reflects the power of community, kindness and the shared commitment of making a positive impact in our local area.

“This year’s fair went beyond the joy of gift-giving, it embraced the spirit of giving back to the community. The raffle for St Luke’s Hospice proved to be a resounding success. It was fantastic to see the generosity and the enthusiasm people had for supporting a local cause.”

The London International Cruise Terminal proved to be an ideal venue for this festive gathering and The Port of Tilbury are already setting their sights on expanding the event even further next year. With the overwhelming support from the community and the success of the fair in its third year, they hope to make it an even more integral part of the Christmas season in Tilbury.

St Luke’s Hospice is a local charity dedicated to providing compassionate care and support for individuals facing life-limiting illnesses and their families. The success of the Christmas Fair’s charity raffle contributes directly to the vital services offered by St Luke’s Hospice in the Thurrock area.