Plans for a £100 million freight ferry terminal in Immingham progressing shows confidence in the area at a time of economic uncertainty.

Up to four North Sea services a day could be operated from the site with Stena Line on the South Humber Bank, easing international trade – with freight levels at record levels when the announcement was made. It is now entering the planning process, with the scale of it requiring a development consent order and sign-off from the Transport Secretary.

The proposal was revealed in January, with public consultations held. If successful, 2025 had been eyed for operations to start, with hundreds of jobs across both the shipping and logistics elements.

Mr Bird, who heads up Britain’s busiest freight-focused ports cluster, said:

“ABP has an excellent recent track record in investing in the Humber ports to help unlock economic growth. The investment of over £50 million in 2018 and 2019 to upgrade and expand the two container terminals in the ports of Hull and Immingham are a good example of this success. In the brief time since those investments, many new destinations and regular shipping calls to the terminals were added to their work, after the investment helped to establish them as a strong player in the market. 

It is certainly hoped that the 50 year £100 million investment deal between ABP and Stena for a new up-to-four ferries a day service from the Port of Immingham will produce similar results. That project is currently going through the consenting process with the Government. The investment, at times of economic uncertainty, helps to grow confidence in the market and strengthen the already strong position the Humber plays in the trade flows of the UK.”

Immingham Eastern Ro-Ro Terminal, as it is known, will be considered by National Infrastructure Planning, with a report to hit the Whitehall desk of new incumbent Anne-Marie Trevelyan within nine months.

Mr Bird has also shed further light on the hydrogen production project involving US industrial gases giant Air Products on the Immingham port estate, with a new jetty and supporting infrastructure part of that plan. It would also serve shipping into carbon capture and storage plans harboured on the Humber. The newly named V Net Zero project – Viking CCS – is exploring maritime-fed opportunities.

The development intention between ABP and Air Products, announced in August , could create hundreds of jobs with hundreds of millions of pounds invested. It is one of the 18 key projects highlighted by the Humber Energy Board in an emerging new prospectus that features a £15 billion project pipeline awaiting final investment decisions and regulatory policy framework completions.

Stating the green growth area is one where “some of the most exciting projects can be found,” Mr Bird said:

“Importantly, from an economic perspective, such investment not only secures the one in ten jobs in the Humber that already rely on energy, but will also grow tens of thousands of new jobs.”

Focusing on the Immingham proposal, he said:

“A joint project between ABP and Air Products, it will bring a green hydrogen production facility to the UK. ABP will invest in new infrastructure with a new jetty to service the import and export handling of liquid bulk products. In addition to handling green ammonia, the jetty is being designed so that it can accommodate other cargoes connected to the energy transition, including the import of liquified CO2 from carbon, capture and storage projects for sequestration in the North Sea, thereby playing a significant role in the UK’s energy transition.

Air Products has an existing plan to develop the UK’s largest blue hydrogen facility in Immingham. This new project will bring a wide range of benefits to Immingham and the UK, including eliminating up to 580,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year, the equivalent of taking 20,000 diesel HGVs off UK roads, as well as reducing nitrous oxide and particulate emissions.

In addition, the project will bring up to £4 billion in growth and financial benefits to the region and provide 1,400 direct jobs and approximately 1,600 indirect jobs for supply chains and local businesses. It is green investment such as this, that holds the key to unlocking future growth in the UK economy.”