Grangemouth revamping port operations to boost capacity
A multi-million pound investment programme by Forth Ports is well underway at the Port of Grangemouth.
The programme includes container terminal surfacing upgrades, new terminal operating system, warehouse development and a ship to shore crane investment.
Resurfacing development is under construction which will further increase the capacity of the busy container terminal by around 1,000 TEUs to position the port ahead of the market. This investment of £2 million will be finished later this year in time for the peak volume period and will also cater for any additional demands that may be placed on container storage times as a result of changes to customs processes through Brexit.
Construction has begun on a new 100,000 sq ft warehouse development within the port estate which is due to be complete by December this year. Directly linked to the container terminal and with access to the rail siding, the warehouse will offer portcentric solutions and extend the Container Freight Station service offering.
The port is also due to welcome a new Liebherr multimillion pound ship to shore container crane in August. There is also further investment in a new IT Terminal operating system with the first phase of this to be implemented in June. A second phase will take place in August which aims to build on the success of the Vehicle Booking Service introduced in April 2017 by automating the receipt and delivery process for containers in order to further ensure quick turnaround times of haulage vehicles at the port.
The resurfacing work will ensure that the landside operation supports the investment in the crane and Terminal operating system which will deliver faster terminal performance.
Derek Knox, Grangemouth’s port manager, said: “Our investment in Grangemouth keeps us well ahead of the market in Scotland and ensures that we are equipped to meet the future demands of our customers. It is so important that we deliver fast turnaround times to maintain container vessel schedules and ensure their reliability to service the Scottish export market and prepare for the future challenges that Brexit may introduce.
We are Scotland’s largest container port and we handle some of the country’s most valuable exports, such as fine foods and drinks and we will continue to invest in the port and seek further opportunities to increase capacity, create portcentric warehousing and service improvements.”
Grangemouth is Scotland’s largest container port, with an overall capacity of 220,000 containers per annum. More than £6 billion worth of goods pass through the port each year including chemicals, steel plate, timber, paper and equipment for the oil and gas industry. Grangemouth is also Scotland’s largest reefer port principally from Scotland’s fresh food exporters, created by a significantly longer season for the shipping of such produce as potatoes, cheese, fish and seafood to markets across the world.
