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Grimsby River Terminal welcomes first vessel
The newly opened Grimsby River Terminal (GRT), representing the English port’s single largest investment in its 160-year history, welcomed its first vessel this week.
The MV Ems Highway discharged more than 800 Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda vehicles onto the terminal’s 7,000 tonne concrete pontoon, which are now ready for distribution to customers across the UK.
Until now, specialist car-carrying ships used Grimsby’s Alexandra Dock, which is accessed through the port’s original Royal Lock, built in 1852. However the existing lock limits ship size to a maximum of 800 cars.
The £26 million GRT, which is the first construction to be built outside the lock gates since Royal Lock opened, will offer access for two vessels carrying up to 3,000 vehicles.
GRT took several years to plan and 18 months to construct.
“It has been a long journey to deliver this project,” commented ABP port director for Grimsby & Immingham, John Fitzgerald.
“This new terminal represents major investment for the Port of Grimsby and demonstrates ABP’s commitment to the future of the Port and its role in the European automotive supply chain.”
The Port of Grimsby and Immingham is the UK’s busiest car-handling port, handling over 788,000 units in 2012.
