In a ceremony and reception hosted by Peter Jones, Chief Executive of ABP, Nick Palmer, ABP Port Director, Grimsby & Immingham, and David Sheppard, Managing Director of Gleadell, the terminal was declared open by Gleadell’s Chairman, Carsten Hojland. The inauguration of the facility marked the culmination of nine months’ construction work and an investment by ABP of £3.26 million. The terminal is located in an ideal position in the Inner Dock of the Port of Immingham, on the UK’s busiest foreign-trading estuary - the Humber. When full, Gleadell Bulk Terminal has the capacity to store some 25,000 tonnes of grain.

Commenting on the new terminal, ABP Chief Executive Peter Jones said:

"Gleadell, a valued, long-standing ABP customer, has been loading grain at the Port of Immingham for almost 25 years now. This new facility enables ABP to continue to offer the highest level of support and service to Gleadell, and to play an important part in the ongoing growth of their business. The ability to handle a wide array of cargoes and trades is just one of a number of reasons why Grimsby & Immingham remains the country’s pre-eminent port by tonnage, and it is developments of this kind that will continue to ensure the port keeps its leading status in the UK for many, many years to come."

David Sheppard, Gleadell’s Managing Director, added:

"Immingham’s strategic location at the heart of the UK’s grain-producing farmland makes it ideal for our farmer-customers and suppliers. This dockside facility, designed for both import and export cargoes, offers access to increasingly important European markets. The opening of this new terminal also leaves us very well-placed for the possible expansion of the biofuel industry in the vicinity of the port.

Gleadell Bulk Terminal features a state-of-the-art, fully mobile shiploader capable of handling 1,200 tonnes of grain per hour. The terminal is expected to handle a range of export cargoes - including wheat, barley, oilseed rape and pulses - destined for customers in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Scandinavia and Ireland, as well as specialist organic import grain.