The deep-water port at Great Yarmouth – owned by Peel Ports – has attracted aggregate suppliers providing raw materials for the building works and says it is eyeing the potential for more.

Last year the port welcomed its largest-ever vessel which discharged 55,000 tonnes of material – mainly aggregates – destined for use across the East coast, including Sizewell C.

Rising volumes this year are “giving confidence” that this could be an important ongoing commodity for the port, port owners said.

The latest ship to visit discharged 44,000 tonnes of cargo from Aggregate Industries’ Glensanda quarry in the Highlands. It makes the last 12 months one of the busiest in the port’s history.

It helped the port to a record year for any one single commodity handled through the new Great Yarmouth Outer Harbour – as it passed the 1,000,000 tonne mark.

As well as supplying Sizewell C, the aggregates are going towards road upgrades and offshore wind farm developments.

Port director Richard Goffin said: “What we’ve proven in the last year is that we can handle the largest class of aggregate vessels, providing another route for companies involved in the thriving south-east construction sector.

“The work we’ve done with firms for Sizewell C has opened up other conversations with potential customers about supporting their needs.”

Joanne Beales of Aggregate Industries explained that the depth of water at Great Yarmouth is one of the port’s major attractions.

“There aren’t many places that our largest ships can dock at, especially with the facilities and team that we need to fulfil our customers’ orders.

“Ours is an industry with very tight margins so we have to work with operators such as Peel Ports that really understand what we need and can deliver on their promises.”

Peel Ports also owns ports including the Port of Liverpool and London Medway.

Sourced by: eadt.co.uk