Ports have been vital to the UK’s identity as an island nation for millennia. They have long served as the country’s main gateway for global trade and exchange.
This is still the case today, with 95% of the UK’s physical trade passing through its seaports. A quarter of that trade passes through the ports operated by Associated British Ports (ABP). But a new and equally important role has emerged for ports. They are now key players in the UK’s sustainable future.
With society’s renewed focus on decarbonising the global economy, businesses must become more sustainable while also maintaining resilient supply chains. This can be particularly daunting for sectors such as manufacturing, construction and steelmaking. Yet, it is essential that these sectors have a fair and viable pathway to transition as we work toward a clean-energy future.
ABP is the UK’s leading ports group, handling nearly £160bn of trade annually. “With 21 locations across England, Scotland and Wales, we get a bird’s-eye view of many industries, giving us a unique perspective into the challenges they face,” says Tim Morris, group head of corporate communications at ABP.
He continues: “Take automotive, for example; a key sector for us. With 40% of all UK vehicles passing through our ports on the Humber and Southampton each year, ABP links the UK to Europe, Asia and the Americas via major short-sea and deep-sea shipping routes. Our ports at Immingham, Grimsby and Southampton offer access to rail connections and major manufacturing hubs and key distribution points in the UK.”
These ports are not just logistical gateways; they are essential infrastructure supporting industries across the country. By integrating transport networks with sustainable practices, ABP is helping to future-proof supply chains and enable the transition to greener operations. “Our commitment to serving our customers is at the very heart of our business. That is why, as the needs of our customers have changed, the role of our ports has also undergone an evolution,” he says.
ABP has embarked on a strategic transformation to enable the energy transition, from being a traditional port operator and keeping Britain trading to becoming a major provider of green-energy infrastructure and enabling the energy transition. A key milestone on this journey was the publication last year of ABP’s sustainability strategy, Ready for Tomorrow.
Businesses must become more sustainable while also maintaining resilient supply chains
The document sets out the company’s plans to invest £600m in decarbonising its own operations by 2040 and allocate £1.4bn to clean-energy infrastructure projects to enable the UK energy transition. “Over the past 12 months, we have invested over £5m in decarbonising our own operations. We are also proud to report that 18 out of our 21 ports already have renewable-energy generation projects on site, including solar panels and onshore wind,” adds Morris.
Green Port Hull (GPH), for instance, is a fantastic success story. The £310m joint investment between ABP and Siemens Gamesa has created a renewable-energy hub with world-class offshore wind-turbine blade manufacturing, assembly and servicing facilities as its centrepiece. “This project is an example of how locating businesses on ABP’s ports can bring a range of benefits, including access to prime brownfield land at the heart of the UK’s largest industrial hubs, space for growth and a link to supply chains via world-class port infrastructure,” says Morris.
ABP’s plan for a transformational development of the port of Port Talbot is another example of a major green-energy project in the UK’s ports. “This would enhance a port that historically has fed the adjacent steel works, with the carbon-intensive commodities of iron ore and coal, to be a hub for the mobilisation, assembly and, crucially, supply for the Celtic Sea floating offshore-wind sector,” says Morris. In addition to contributing to the UK’s clean-energy mission, the development would create thousands of jobs to meet the needs of the region.
“Another major project we are working on is the proposed Immingham Green Energy Terminal (IGET) which would provide a vital part of the infrastructure that will enable the UK’s first large-scale, green-hydrogen production facility,” adds Morris. “The project will bring a wide range of benefits to Immingham and the UK, including around 1,600 indirect jobs for supply chains and local businesses.”
IGET is also a key enabler of the Viking CCS Cluster, a CO2 transport and storage network located in the Humber. The Viking CCS Cluster is the UK’s most industrialised region with its seaborne transport access providing unrivalled high-volume options for both decarbonising the UK industry and opening up export opportunities for European trade. The project has the potential to create 20,000 local jobs at peak construction and safeguard thousands of industrial jobs.
“It is widely recognised that both public and private organisations need to accelerate the pace of innovation if we are to combat the effect of climate change and win in the global energy race. This can only be achieved through effective collaboration,” Morris adds.
To help foster collaboration, ABP launched the Energy Ventures Accelerator (EVA) in partnership with innovation platform Plug and Play. The EVA programme aims to enable the energy transition by creating clusters of innovative ventures in the UK’s most important industrial hubs. ABP has thus far hosted two successful events as part of the programme, including its EVA Inclusive Energy networking session in London, which connected diverse founders and investors, and its EVA Humber Innovation Day in Hull in November, which brought together a vibrant community of innovators across industry, government and academia.
“Building the supply chains of tomorrow, which are both resilient and highly sustainable, is one of the greatest challenges of our time. But the opportunity is huge – economic growth, a greener planet, jobs and prosperity for local communities. ABP is up to the task and we look forward to working with partners to deliver on this vision,” concludes Morris.
For more information about ABP and partnership opportunities please visit abports.co.uk
