Associated British Ports to invest £2.6m in Port of Garston as new Long Rake Spar contract begins

Associated British Ports has announced it will invest £2.6m to enhance facilities at its Merseyside port as it marks the start of a new long-term contract with a decorative aggregates importer.

ABP has sealed a deal with Long Rake Spar, which will now import around 60,000 tonnes of decorative stone per annum via the Port of Garston.

According to ABP, the product will be used to supply a wide range of construction industry businesses including builder’s merchants, landscapers and contractors.

The Port of Garston has already completed two successful cargo discharge operations for Long Rake Spar.

ABP will invest £2.6m to enhance facilities at the Port of Garston and tailor them to meet the needs of its new customer, including installing 16 external concrete storage bays and building a new 20,000 sq ft warehouse.

Ashley Piper, ABP's commercial manager, said: “We are delighted to celebrate the start of our partnership with Long Rake Spar, a leading stone aggregates importer in the UK.

“Despite the current disruption to our society and the global economy caused by the current health epidemic, ABP continues to invest to keep the UK supply chain moving. Whilst doing so, we are also working to ensure the health and wellbeing of our employees, contractors, customers and other port users.”

Founded in 1867, Long Rake Spar has been supplying specialised decorative aggregates for over 150 years.

Trevor Broadhurst, Long Rake Spar managing director, said: “Working with ABP at the Port of Garston represents a great opportunity for Long Rake Spar and is a vital next step in our history.

"We continuously look towards the company’s future success as a leading supplier of specialist decorative aggregates, for both import and export, and identifying new strategic dock facilities is key to this success. The site at Garston and the investment from ABP will help drive this and give us stronger efficiency in our supply chain.”

“We’re pleased to begin working with one of Britain’s leading port owners and operators.

"ABP’s investment in the site, along with their expertise in handling and efficiency have allowed us to plan for expansion in import, export and processing and we look forward to a successful long-term partnership with them.”