Work begins on £2.3 million warehouse investment at Port of Newport
ABP says work has started on a £2.3 million project to develop new warehousing space at ABP Newport in order to accommodate increasing agriculture-related cargo volumes at the port.
ABP South Wales, owner and operator of the Port of Newport, has appointed local construction company Andrew Scott, to deliver the development. Once completed, it will provide an additional 3,500 square metres of covered storage for the port. The investment also includes provision of new weighbridges to help improve operational efficiency during cargo handling.
Between 2009 and 2014, ABP Newport saw its agribulk operations increase by 118% from handling 139,329 tonnes to 283,770. Overall, the Port of Newport handles around 1.85 million tonnes of cargo a year, supporting 3,000 local jobs and contributing £186 million per annum to the Welsh economy.
Commenting on the investment, Matthew Kennerley, ABP South Wales Director, said: “Over the last five years we have seen agribulk cargo volumes increase steadily through the port, driven by the needs of the domestic agricultural industry and the bio-energy sector.
“We are committed to ensuring that our facilities are market leading, able to accommodate increasing cargo volumes and able to adapt to the commercial requirements of our customers. This investment follows on from more than £15 million that has been spent at the Port of Newport during the last two years to ensure that Welsh and UK industries who are seeking to access deep sea global markets can do so as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
Mark Bowen, Managing Director of Andrew Scott, said: "It gives me great pleasure to see this excellent project go ahead on site at Newport. It is important that we invest in the ports of South Wales, and improve the connectivity and infrastructure. Port projects are vital for sustaining economic growth and diversification, acting as a catalyst for future investment in South Wales."
Over the last two years ABP has invested more than £15 million in developing the Port of Newport and its infrastructure to ensure it meets the need of port customers and the wider regional economy.
Key investments include:
• £2.76 million on the redevelopment of Atlantic Shed to accommodate the port’s growing steel business
• £6.8 million investment in renewable energy projects
• £3.3 million on two new mobile harbour cranes
• £1.5 million on the refurbishment of three quayside cranes
• £1.7 million on a new rail bridge within the port
• £1.1 million on quay strengthening works
The Port of Newport consists of two docks: the North and South and encloses a water area of 125 acres along with a land area of 685 acres. Its tenants primarily span the steel, construction, agriculture, manufacturing and power generation sectors.
