Associated British Ports (ABP) announced a major new agreement which sees Dutch shortsea specialist Thor Shipping & Transport commit 10 years to The Port of Hull.
In addition, ABP has invested GBP6 million into Thor’s 10-acre leased terminal, allowing substantial infrastructure improvement works and an additional 2.5 acres of container storage space. As part of this key investment, in March 2019, a hybrid £3.5 million Liebherr harbour crane will arrive, to bolster eco-friendly operations for many years to come.
Since July 2014 Thor has trebled its tonnage through the two-berth terminal on King George Dock. It has a regular container and breakbulk service from its own short sea operator - Sunline - connecting the UK with the East Coast of Sweden twice a week. It also facilitates vessels three times a week to Zeebrugge and a breakbulk liner service every fortnight from Finland and Iceland.
“The key to realising our potential and helping our valued customers to grow, is ensuring that we continually work closely with them and support their future aspirations,” said Chris Green, ABP Port Manager for Hull and Goole.
“This agreement shows that both ABP and Thor are confident in committing to support the Humber region for a substantial amount of time, so much so, it’s double the length of the previous contract agreed in 2014.”
ABP’s investment in the Port of Hull continues, recently including the installation of LED efficient mast lighting, the implementation of new heavy-duty paving and the demolition of a building to make way for new container storage.
This year Thor hopes to see its strongest performance yet, and expects to handle one million tonnes of cargo. In addition to containers, Thor’s other core business concerns steel and timber, both of which benefit from the rail links directly to the terminal at the port, which boost the efficiency of the operation and reduce carbon footprint.
Thomas Bryan, Thor Shipping and Transport Managing Director, added: “Throughout the years we have gone from strength-to-strength and it’s great to see that ABP recognises this by heavily investing into our terminal.
“Our future is bright and we look forward to continually building upon our international trade and transport links, helping to put the Humber on the map as a key gateway for trade. It will enable us to realise and sustain future growth opportunities.”