The port of Teignmouth

Record shipment of clay at Teignmouth
Port breaks own record with simultaneous loading of four ships



The Port of Teignmouth, owned and operated by Associated British Ports (ABP), recently broke its own record by loading nearly 8,000 tonnes of bulk clay in a single day.

Four ships were loaded simultaneously in just over 12 hours, with a 1,500-tonne shipment for the Cornwall-based producer Imerys, and a ball-clay consignment of 6,450 tonnes handled for WBB Minerals.

The record-breaking day came towards the end of the first year of operations on the redeveloped Western Quays, a project completed last year at a cost to ABP of £5 million.

Dave Atkin, ABP Port Manager, Plymouth & Teignmouth, explains: “The investment undertaken in straightening the quayside at Teignmouth has been instrumental in enabling us to improve the service we offer to customers, allowing larger ships to be handled more quickly.”

He added: “Transporting these combined shipments of 7950 tonnes by sea removed the equivalent of 265 lorry-loads from the road in a single day. Moving freight in this way is efficient, environmentally sound, and helps reduce traffic congestion in the area.”


The Port of Teignmouth is one of 11 short-sea ports that are owned and operated by ABP, the UK’s leading ports group. The port sustains the area’s agricultural and ball-clay industries, and has seen impressive growth in trade over recent years.