The Young Endeavour sailing back into the Port of Lowestoft 29 years after leaving for Australia.
Her Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Gavin Dawe re-opened Town Quay in a ceremony at the weekend.
Associated British Ports (ABP) has invested £4.5 million in the reconstruction of Town Quay at the Port of Lowestoft, ensuring it is fit for purpose for at least the next 50 years.
Town Quay was officially re-opened by Lieutenant Commander Gavin Dawe, Commanding Officer of the Royal Australian Navy tall ship Young Endeavour, which was returning to the port where she was built for the first time since being given to Australia as a bicentennial gift in 1988.
The quay has been rebuilt following its collapse in 2012. ABP’s investment has made the quay stronger, deeper and suitable for a variety of uses, particularly for the support of offshore wind and renewable energy industry.
The Young Endeavour was originally built by Brooke Yachts in Lowestoft and was given to Australia as a bicentennial gift in 1988. Since then she has been in service as part of a youth scheme that taken over 12, 000 young Australians on sailing adventures.
Lieutenant Commander Gavin Dawe cut the ribbon in a ceremony attended by Lowestoft Mayor Councillor Stephen Ardley, his deputy Councillor Nick Webb and local MP Peter Aldous.
ABP Short Sea Port Director Andrew Harston said: “We are delighted that the Town Quay works were completed in time to be able to berth the Young Endeavour. It is a great opportunity for the people of Lowestoft to see her return after 29 years.”
“It is a great honour that, for the first time since she sailed from Lowestoft, Lieutenant Commander Dawes and his young crew have been able to bring Young Endeavour home.”
ABP East Anglia
With the support of its customers, ABP’s Ports of East Anglia, King’s Lynn, Lowestoft and Ipswich contribute £340 million to the UK economy every year and support 3, 577 jobs in the region and 5, 000 jobs nationally.
- · ABP’s East Anglia ports handle around 2.2 million tonnes of cargo every year.
- · Ports in East Anglia handle over 1.3 million tonnes of agribulks and 150, 000 tonnes of timber annually.
About ABP
ABP is the UK’s leading ports operator with 21 ports and other transport related businesses creating a unique national network capable of handling a vast array of cargo.
ABP contributes £5.6 billion to the UK economy every year and supports 84, 000 jobs. Our current investment programme promises to deliver an extra £1.75 billion for the economy every year.
ABP…
- · Handles over 1.5 million vehicles every year
- · Generates around one quarter of the UK’s rail freight
- · Has 1.4 million square metres of covered storage
- · Has 1, 000 hectares of open storage
- · Handles around 100m tonnes of cargo each year
- · Owns 5, 000 hectares of port estate
- · Has 87km of quay
Our five year investment programme is worth £837 million. Our investment is designed to respond to the needs of our customers whose business relies on our ports for access to international and, in some cases, domestic markets.
