New vehicle handling facilities have been introduced at Port of Immingham as cars replace coal on Humber International Terminal.
A £500,000 investment has been made to allow Associated British Ports to meet customer demands, with the bottleneck for new models seen across the industry now easing, meaning a rapid flow of vehicles into the UK market.
With requirements for the fossil fuel diminishing rapidly ahead of a ban on burning for power - and significant customer Drax recently calling an end to it - bosses on the quayside have responded. It means cars discharged from the ever-larger vessels will have a first point of rest near the in-river berths, ahead of onward movement.
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As part of the growth, ABP has carried out two back-to-back stevedore operations involving 4,000 vehicles.
Simon Bird, ABP’s regional director for the Humber ports, said: “We have taken on this stevedoring role and have proven we can handle it and very much look forward to expanding our automotive services.
“It’s part of ABP’s commitment to helping our customers and we continually look to invest in our infrastructure to accommodate growing industry demand. The Humber is a major player in the automotive market, and we continue to invest to ensure we can handle larger vessels.”
There had been plans to expand the £26 million Grimsby River Terminal, the two-berth facility beneath the Dock Tower that can handle vessels carrying up to 3,000 vehicles, but attention has since turned upriver. The proposal was put under review a year ago, as initial trials at Immingham were held, and remains so.
ABP said the HIT offering is not a replacement for GRT, but "more of an enhancement to ABP Humber’s automotive solution," as it increases berth availability for car carriers to accept deep sea vessels up to 232m in length, something not currently possible at GRT.
2025 will mark 50 years since Grimsby was chosen as the base for the first vehicle imports with Volkswagen, the brand that formed a strategic partnership to deliver GRT back in 2013. Since then, ABP said the Humber has grown to be the UK number one automotive distribution centre in the UK. The central Britain location helps reduce transport time and costs.
More than 800,000 cars a year now pass through, with imports from European and Far East manufacturers dominating. And the investment has been a huge benefit as recovery from the microchip shortage comes.
Kia UK Ltd supply chain general manager, Awais Ajmal, said: “Due to a high level of back orders for Kia vehicles, ABP prevented disruption in our time-sensitive supply chain.
“This has allowed Kia UK to maintain deliveries to our valued customers during a critical time for new registrations”.
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