The Port of Tilbury welcomed the Maritime Minister, Keir Mather MP, and Department for Transport (DfT) colleagues to the port this week for a briefing and tour of the UK’s fastest growing port.

The Minister was joined by Thurrock MP, Jen Craft, and was welcomed to the port by Regional Director, David Webster, who led the visit outlining the impacts of the significant investment across the port over recent years, including the opportunities via the Thames Freeport and the port’s diverse onsite activities.

The Minister also met the Merchant Navy Welfare Board at the Tilbury Seafarers Centre, which provides support for seafarers from around the world while they are in port, before being shown the new 16-bay e-HGV charging station. Working with Fleete, Tilbury is home to the UK’s largest dedicated commercial vehicle electric charging hub, which opened earlier this year. The project was supported by £1 million of seed capital via the Thames Freeport*.

The Minister toured the rest of the port including Tilbury2, the country’s largest unaccompanied freight ferry terminal and biggest construction processing before continuing to the site of Tilbury3, which recently received outline planning permission to develop a 100-acre brownfield site for port activities to bring investment, trade and jobs to the area. Tilbury3 is part of the Thames Freeport’s Tilbury Tax Site.

During the tour, the Minister was updated on the port’s decarbonisation projects and developments in alternative energy and fuels, including electric charging and green hydrogen. The Port’s new on-site green hydrogen production facility, with GeoPura**, will support commercial-scale hydrogen for heavy industry enabling significant reductions in diesel use and carbon emissions.

Keir Mather MP, Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister, said: “Port of Tilbury is leading the way on clean energy – from significant onsite wind turbine energy generation to cutting-edge hydrogen.

“Backed by £1 million in Government funding, the port has opened the UK’s biggest commercial vehicle charging hub, helping businesses cut costs and cleaning up UK road freight.

“Shipping is the backbone of our economy and we’re investing £448 million to drive innovation in clean fuels and technologies, creating skilled jobs, cutting emissions and delivering long-term growth.”

“The Minister’s visit was an opportunity to demonstrate the scale of investment and innovation taking place across the Port of Tilbury as we continue to grow our role as a strategic gateway for UK trade and industry,” said David Webster, Regional Director at the Port of Tilbury. “From major infrastructure developments such as Tilbury3 to pioneering decarbonisation initiatives including electric HGV charging hub and green hydrogen production, we are committed to supporting economic growth while accelerating the transition to a more sustainable port operation.”