Associated British Ports’ (ABP) South Wales Ports of Cardiff, Barry, Newport, Swansea and Port Talbot performed well in 2005, with cargo volumes nearly 4.5 per cent higher than the previous year’s figures. Growth was driven by a substantial increase in coal and iron ore imports handled at the Ports of Newport and Port Talbot, as well as by new business wins across the region.

ABP’s Ports of Cardiff and Barry handled just under 3 million tonnes of cargo in 2005, with both ports welcoming the introduction of new liner services. Cardiff handled a number of forest-product shipments, comprising imports of Swedish redwood timber, and trial shipments of bio-fuel destined for local power stations.  Cargoes of scrap metal continue to feature prominently at the two ports. Cardiff handled consignments of scrap metal from London, destined for the Celsa (UK) steelworks, located adjacent to the Cardiff port estate. Regular trade flows of scrap metal have also been established at the Port of Barry, utilising the new scrap-metal terminal that is operated by Dunn Brothers (1995) Ltd.

Forest-products traffic has seen a revival at the Port of Newport, with two new developments taking place. ABP is set to invest £100,000 to expand WestBank Timber’s timber-handling operation at the port. The investment will see a number of modifications being made to the port’s Number 4 Shed, including the removal of redundant internal structures and the installation of new lighting and fencing. Complementing ABP’s refurbishment of the shed, WestBank Timber will be making significant capital investments to progress their expansion at the port. The company aims to increase the geographical spread of their distribution facilities and links across the UK.

Rowlinson Timber commenced timber shipments into Newport, with the arrival of m.v. Pyotr Anokhin in late 2005. The vessel, and subsequent shipments, have to date discharged almost 9,000 cu m of Scandinavian timber at the port’s South Dock.

Volumes of imported coal increased significantly over the course of 2005, with the Port of Newport handling close to 1.4 million tonnes, a growth of 174 per cent on the previous year’s figures. To accommodate this marked rise in throughput, ABP is investing in extending the railway siding at the port’s Coal Terminal, and refurbishing the Atlantic Coal Siding, to act as a support spur. In addition to these investments, ABP has also installed a rail weighbridge at the port’s Coal Terminal; additionally, ABP purchased one Hyundai HL770-7 loading shovel and two smaller stereo loaders, and moved a Stothert and Pitt 10-tonne capacity crane across to South Dock to improve coal-vessel handling times at the port.

ABP’s investment of £1.4 million to extend Newport’s Number 7 Shed for long-standing customer WE Dowds was completed in June 2005. Supplementing ABP’s investment, WE Dowds – a specialist steel-handling company – has invested heavily in new stock-control systems, cargo-handling equipment and gantry cranage at the port. Following the completion of the shed’s extension, the relocation of two Stothert and Pitt 40-tonne capacity cranes from ABP’s Port of Swansea to Newport was undertaken to improve the efficiency of the port’s steel-handling operations. In addition, the port’s new Number 11 Shed extension was opened in early October 2005. Providing an additional 3,000 sq m of covered warehousing for animal-feed cargoes, the extended shed has been given the seal of approval by both the Agricultural Industries Confederation and the Grain and Feed Trade Association.

RKL Plywood (UK) Ltd’s new £1.7 million warehouse– located on ABP’s Swansea port estate – was finished, ahead of schedule, in December 2005, and was quickly in operation, receiving its first consignment of plywood a month later. Volumes of board-timber products coming through the port rose by 25,000 tonnes in 2005, reflecting the importance of this new trade for Swansea. 

John Fitzgerald, ABP Port Director for the South Wales Ports, commented on the region’s performance:

“2005 saw the region’s five ports foster existing customer relationships, while actively seeking new business opportunities. With cargo volumes showing a near 4.5 per cent increase on last year, it is evident that ABP’s South Wales ports have enjoyed a solid year. On this encouraging footing, we look to better our performance in 2006.”

Cardiff-based UK Dredging, ABP’s dredging arm, has had a good year fulfilling the substantial dredging requirements of ABP, as well as third-party works at a variety of ports and waterways in the UK, Ireland and Portugal.

UK Dredging continues to provide ABP’s ports and its third-party clients with an efficient, flexible and cost-effective dredging service and has, once again, demonstrated its ability to manage large-scale capital dredging projects effectively, following the successful conclusion of dredging works for ABP’s Immingham Outer Harbour project. Currently well under way, the project will see the completion of a new riverside roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) terminal at the Port of Immingham for ro-ro ferry operators DFDS Tor Line in the second quarter of 2006.

Over the course of 2005, UK Dredging undertook 24 third-party dredging and survey works, including new term agreements with The Bristol Port Company, Humber Sea Terminal and the Port of Waterford, Ireland.