Aggregate Industries has welcomed the first ship bringing product to its new cement storage facility at the Port of Southampton, following a multi-million-pound upgrade.
Work began on the extensive infrastructure upgrade in March, following the building materials supplier securing a 20-year agreement with Solent Stevedores to handle large volumes of both traditional and lower-carbon cementitious products through the Port of Southampton.
The new facility is now considered to be the fastest cement discharging terminal in the UK, unloading vessels at a speed of 1 tonne of cement every five seconds.
The completion of this £6 million partnership investment between ABP and Solent Stevedores was marked by the arrival of the Nacc Indian Cement Carrier, welcomed to the port with the first shipment of bulk product.
This partnership investment to convert the flat store at the port builds on the existing relationship Solent Stevedores has with Aggregate Industries and increases the range of products handled by the cargo handler at the Port.
Cementitious materials will be pumped from pneumatic vessels through an encapsulated pipe system into the new warehouse, where the highest level of environmental standards are in place.
This first shipment signifies the start of a new chapter in Aggregate Industries' ability to meet growing regional demand while supporting a more efficient and sustainable supply chain. It also supports ABP’s vision of ‘Ready for Tomorrow’ helping to create a more positive environmental impact.
This new facility is part of Aggregate Industries’ long-term investment strategy to transition to deep-sea terminals, with further import network developments planned for the coming years. The enhanced distribution capability is designed to minimise lorry miles and deliver service to local customers.
Steve Curley, Managing Director of Aggregate Industries’ Cement Division, commented: “The completion of this facility and the arrival of the Nacc Indian represents a major milestone in our deep-sea import strategy. This investment allows us to stay ahead of rising demand for cement solutions, whilst also ensuring we can always deliver with speed and agility to our growing customer base across the South coast region.”
Clive Thomas, Commercial Director at Solent Stevedores, said: “We are thrilled to be further strengthening our working partnership with Aggregate Industries which began in 2021. We work hard to ensure we’re contributing positively towards improving the local air quality and this long-term contract together with investing in infrastructure that supports operations of the highest of environmental standards is something we’re very proud of.”
Paul Reeves, Head of Commercial at ABP, added: “ABP are proud to jointly invest in this state-of-the-art cement facility with our long-term partners Solent Stevedores and Aggregate Industries. We are delighted to see the successful discharge of low carbon cargo directly from the ship to shore. We continually invest in our infrastructure at the Port to enable greener supply chain solutions for our customers and deliver our Ready for Tomorrow sustainability strategy.”
