Investment in UK port infrastructure topped £1B in 2021

New research, published by the British Ports Association last week, revealed that UK port investment topped £1bn in 2021 despite continuing pandemic volatility. 

Investment in port infrastructure in 2021 stood at over £1bn, swelled by several big projects such as the £300m fourth berth at DP World’s London Gateway, which will raise capacity at the container port by a third. 

“Significant investment in modernising port machinery, pilot vessels and buildings adds at least another £75m to the total, although this is almost certainly an underestimate as the value or existence much of this investment is not routinely published,” British Ports Association said.

Other notable port infrastructure investments announced this year include:

• £25m development of the Port of Lowestoft’s Eastern Energy Facility;
• a £50m expansion at the Port of Cromarty Firth;
• Teesport’s new £9.2m bulks terminal;
• the start of a new £60m programme of works to redevelop areas within Pembroke Port;
• £40m of investment in the Port of Leith by Forth Ports.

Port infrastructure investment in 2020 remained strong at over £600m despite the pandemic.

Notable projects include Harwich Haven’s £120m channel deepening for the Port of Felixstowe, which is currently underway.

The Harwich channel deepening will mean that the biggest container ships in the world will be able to access Felixstowe, which handles over a third of the UK’s containers.