Work is set to begin on a new multi-million-pound freight ferry terminal in eastern England.
A joint investment of more than £200 million by Stena Line and Associated British Ports (ABP) has been made into the Port of Immingham, known as the Immingham Eastern RoRo Terminal (IERRT). It is one of the largest recent infrastructure developments on the Humber and reflects rising demand in the region’s unaccompanied freight market.
Immingham, in Lincolnshire, has become a strategic hub for Stena Line, which currently operates two daily services from the Humber to the Netherlands. ABP’s four Humber ports – Immingham, Grimsby, Hull and Goole – collectively form the UK’s largest trading gateway by volume.
The new terminal will sit on the Humber Estuary and is designed to reduce sailing times while enabling the use of larger Roll-on/Roll-off vessels. According to the companies, the facility aims to increase capacity for cargo moving between the UK and continental Europe and provide improved access for exporters and importers across the region.
Stena Line chief executive Niclas Mårtensson said the port plays a significant role in the company’s wider network and that the project is part of a long-term plan to expand freight operations.
ABP chief executive Henrik Pedersen described the development as further evidence of the operator’s commitment to strengthening UK-Europe trade links.
The government has also welcomed the scheme. Transport minister Simon Lightwood said the investment represents ‘a big win for Lincolnshire and the North’, creating jobs and increasing trade activity.
The project builds on more than £170 million already invested by Stena Line in Immingham over the past five years.
The Humber region has seen sustained growth in freight traffic in recent decades. ABP says its Humber ports handle more than 58 million tonnes of cargo each year, contributing £2.5 billion (€2.9 billion) to the UK economy.
