Port invests in vehicle handling infrastructure to support industry’s supply chain

Associated British Ports (ABP) has invested in new vehicle handing facilities at the Port of Immingham to meet customer demands.

The half a million-pound infrastructure in the Humber International terminal (HIT) will mean when cars are discharged off the vessel, they are sent to a first point of rest facility near the berth.

The terminal was originally built to handle coal, but as the UK coal usage declines, so ABP has looked to plug gaps in the shipping schedule with car ships, to help meet customers’ needs.

Simon Bird, regional director of 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.”

Kia UK Ltd supply chain general manager, Awais Ajmal, added: “A big thanks to ABP for stepping in at short notice on several of our recent deliveries.

“This has allowed Kia UK to maintain deliveries to our valued customers during a critical time for new registrations. Due to a high level of back orders for Kia vehicles ABP prevented disruption in our time sensitive supply chain.”

The ports of Grimsby and Immingham serve the European and Far East automotive markets.

In 2025 it will be 50 years since Grimsby was chosen as the base for the first vehicle imports with Volkswagen.

Since then, the Humber has grown to be the UK number one automotive distribution centre in the UK. The £26m Grimsby River Terminal (GRT) is a two-berth facility, capable of handling vessels carrying up to 3,000 vehicles.