Port of Blyth has launched its Battleship Wharf Expansion, setting out investment of up to £100 million ($135.5 million) in marine and terminal infrastructure in north-east England to raise capacity for offshore wind and other low-carbon projects, according to Port of Blyth.
The project was unveiled at the port’s Annual Public Meeting on 7 May. The early development phase is being jointly funded by the port, Northumberland County Council and the North East Combined Authority, alongside match funding against a £275,000 award from The Crown Estate under the second round of its Supply Chain Accelerator fund, equivalent to about $373,400 at a /USD rate of about 1.3578 on 8 May.
The scheme includes about three hectares of reclaimed land and up to 260 metres of quay extensions and rock revetment linked to the new deep-water berth adjacent to the JDR cable factory, while channel and berth deepening are intended to allow larger vessels to call at the port.
The expansion is also to be supported by additional heavy-duty handling equipment for next-generation offshore components.
The port said the project is expected to attract further manufacturing investment and create hundreds of jobs, but that wording remains an expectation rather than a quantified commitment.
Port of Blyth is the port operating division of Blyth Harbour Commission, an independent statutory trust established in 1882. The port operates as a UK east coast offshore energy support base handling project, containerised, dry bulk and breakbulk cargoes. Battleship Wharf Terminal currently has four deep-water berths, more than 10,000 square metres of warehousing and 8 hectares of open storage and development land.
