Simon Bird is looking forward to building on the success of the four Humber ports of Hull, Goole, Grimsby & Immingham
Associated British Ports (ABP) has announced the appointment of Simon Bird to the role of Director Humber. He joins ABP today (Monday) from the Bristol Port Company, where he held the post of Chief Executive for over 15 years.
Simon, who prior to joining the Bristol Port Company held senior roles with Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, International Water and BAe plc, is tasked with delivering further growth and over £400 million investment in facilities and infrastructure at the four Humber ports of Hull, Goole, Grimsby and Immingham. He is looking forward to overseeing the development and continued success of the UK’s largest port complex.
“This is a tremendous opportunity and I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues to build on the success of these operations, deliver further growth and ensure our customers receive the highest standard of service, ” said Simon. “As the country’s busiest trading gateway the Humber ports are vital to the economy of the region and the UK as a whole, and I feel enormously privileged to have been asked to lead the Humber team to ensure these four ports continue to thrive.”
ABP Chief Executive James Cooper said: “Simon has extensive experience of working in our industry and has successfully led the Bristol Port Company for over 15 years. Simon’s appointment reflects our ongoing commitment to our customers and to the Humber region, where we are in the process of investing over £400 million in state-of-the art facilities and infrastructure.”
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.
Around one quarter of the UK’s seaborne trade passes through ABP’s Statutory Harbour Areas. 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…
- Handled over 1.6 million vehicles in 2014.
- Generates around one quarter of the UK’s rail freight
- Has 1.4 million square metres of covered storage
- Has 1000 hectares of open storage
- Handled 94.5m tonnes of cargo in 2014
- Owns 5000 hectares of port estate
- Has 87km of quay
Over the next five years, ABP is investing over £650 million in a wide range of major projects across the group.
ABP Humber
The four ports of Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole handle more than 63 million tonnes of cargo between them each year.
Grimsby and Immingham form the UK’s busiest trading gateway and move around 51 million tonnes of cargo per annum.
£130-plus million is currently being invested in the biomass handling terminal in Immingham, in a Humber-wide agreement with Drax Power Ltd that has seen £25 million invested in a biomass handling facility in Hull. The Immingham Renewable Fuels Terminal handles sustainable biomass shipments and will create over 100 permanent jobs once complete. The construction phase created 100 employment opportunities.
The Port of Hull handles 10 million tonnes of cargo per annum and is the is the focal point for the development of the UK’s largest offshore wind turbine manufacturing, construction, assembly, and service facility, which will be located on the Port’s Alexandra Dock. This new facility represents a £310 million investment and will create up to 1000 direct jobs.
The Grimsby River Terminal represents an investment of £26 million and allows large car-carrying ships to berth outside the Port’s lock system. This development confirms the Port’s position as the UK’s leading automotive handling facility.
More than the equivalent of 1million teus (twenty foot equivalent unit) of unitised trade is shipped through ABP Humber ports.
Ro-ro and container traffic represents more than 30 sailings a week to Europe, Scandinavia the Baltic and beyond.
The Humber ports handle more than 70 freight train movements per day.
Goole is situated 50 miles upriver and is the UK’s premier inland port. It handles over one million tonnes of cargo annually.
