Associated British Ports (ABP)

The UK's largest port group, running 21 ports across England, Scotland and Wales that handle about a quarter of the country's seaborne trade.

About Associated British Ports (ABP)

Associated British Ports, usually called ABP, runs 21 ports around Great Britain, from Ayr and Troon in Scotland to Southampton, Hull, Immingham, Ipswich, Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. A port is more than a harbour. It is the place where ships load and unload, and where goods move on to lorries and trains. ABP's ports handle cargo such as cars, containers, grain, fuel, steel, timber and wind-farm parts, and several also welcome cruise ships and ferries. The group also runs Hams Hall Freight Terminal, a rail terminal in the Midlands, and includes the marine consultancy ABPmer and the dredging business UK Dredging.

ABP's stated mission is "Keeping Britain Trading". Its annual review says its ports handle about a quarter of the nation's seaborne trade, support around £150 billion of trade, and support roughly 119,000 jobs, adding about £7.5 billion a year to the UK economy. Those are the company's own figures, from a 2019 review. The review names five focus areas: safety, customers, people, the environment and communities. It does not list formal company values, so none are claimed here. The company traces its origin to 1983, when the government-owned British Transport Docks Board was renamed Associated British Ports, bringing together ports that had been in public hands since 1947.

The ports are spread right across the country. According to Wikipedia, ABP is organised into three divisions: the Humber (Hull, Immingham, Grimsby and Goole), Wales and Short Sea, and Southampton. The annual review says Southampton handles cars, containers and cruise ships, and describes a £50 million upgrade of its Ocean Terminal and a new multi-deck car store. On the Humber, shipping services to continental ports have grown by more than 30% since 2017. Wikipedia lists London as the head office, but we did not find a first-party page that says so.

The annual review says keeping colleagues safe and supporting their wellbeing is the top priority. It describes a behavioural safety programme called Beyond Zero, a whistleblowing hotline that has run for more than 15 years, and a Mental Health Awareness Week campaign called "It's OK not to be OK". It also reports that the company cut its carbon footprint by more than 21% since 2014 and installed 18.3 megawatts-peak of renewable generation at its sites, and that it sponsors events such as the Humber Coastal Half Marathon. These are the company's own claims in a 2019 document.

A port business needs many kinds of people. At ABP these include port operations and marine staff who guide and berth ships, engineers who look after quays, cranes and rail links, health and safety specialists, environmental and renewable-energy teams, commercial and customer managers who win and look after cargo, and finance, IT and human resources staff. The wider group adds consultants at ABPmer, who advise on coasts, ports and the marine environment, and dredging crews at UK Dredging. If you like geography, engineering, business, the environment or how trade really works, a port is a good place to see it up close.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Running 21 UK ports that handle cars, containers, bulk cargo, project cargo and cruise ships.', 'title': 'Port operations'}
• {'desc': 'Hams Hall Freight Terminal and rail connections that move cargo on from the ports.', 'title': 'Rail and inland links'}
• {'desc': 'Marine consultancy through ABPmer and dredging through UK Dredging.', 'title': 'Marine services'}

Key facts

• 21 UK ports, from Ayr and Troon to Southampton and Swansea (ABP annual review)
• Mission: "Keeping Britain Trading"
• Ports handle about a quarter of UK seaborne trade (company claim, 2019 review)
• Origin in 1983, when the British Transport Docks Board was renamed (Wikipedia)

Website: www.abports.co.uk