Princess Anne has visited key workers at Bristol Port to find out how they have been helping during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Princess Royal met staff at Avonmouth who have been working to keep the UK supplied over the past few months.
The port handles millions of tonnes of “critical cargo”, including animal feed for almost all livestock in southern England, containers which bring in thousands of different commodities and the wood pulp that makes millions of rolls of toilet paper.
The royal met port operatives who have worked at the site for 40 years as well as apprentices who have just passed their final year.
She was also introduced to members of the port’s local community organisations, which include the Port of Bristol Police.
Princess Anne was greeted by the port's managing director Sir David Ord and chairman Terence Mordaunt, along with Maritime UK board member Tim Morris.
As part of the visit, Princess Anne also met three crew members on board plough vessel Graham Robertson.
Chief executive David Brown and harbour master Jerry Stanford gave the Princess Royal a guided tour of the Avonmouth and Royal Edward Docks, which was officially opened by her great-great grandfather in 1908.
Tim Morris, chief executive of UK Major Port Groups, said: “Major ports like Bristol have done a magnificent job in keeping us all supplied through the Covid-19 crisis.
"As the gateways for 95 per cent of the goods moving in and out of the UK we rely on our ports for so many of our daily needs and yet again they have proved to be resilient assets for the UK.
"It’s testament to how important the role port and maritime workers have played that The Princess Royal visited Bristol Port to acknowledge the hard work put in, as well as the commitment of the port to skills development and the positive role it plays in supporting local community organisations.”
In April, a boat crew at Bristol Port has paid tribute to the UK’s healthcare workers by mapping out the letters NHS in the Bristol Channel.
The picture, which is visible in space, was created using a satellite tracker to spell out NHS across the entrances of Royal Portbury and Avonmouth Docks.
Bristol Port has remained open throughout the pandemic, delivering supplies into the city, region and wider UK..
