Portsmouth International Port welcomes new types of cargo into city for first time

As part of a bid to expand the Portico cargo terminal at Portsmouth International Port – primarily known for importing fruit – a new kind of freight has started to arrive, such as paper, agribulks, containers and project cargo.

At the port 22,000 pallets of printer paper are currently being unloaded from the hold of the Ansac Pride, for distribution across the UK.

Steve Williams, operations director at Portico said: ‘Over the past few years we've continued to to diversify the types of cargo we can handle here at the terminal. The investments we have made alongside our dedicated workforce mean that we are incredibly flexible.

‘We can move from handling containers to specialist project cargo in the blink of an eye, and being next to the M275 means that freight can be on the road in minutes.’

The terminal will also welcome the Karoline this week, which is carrying 36 large steel pipes bound for the HS2 project.

Recent investment in modern equipment, including mobile harbour cranes which can handle tandem lifts of up to 250 tonnes, means Portico can handle a wide range of specialist cargo.

Leader of Portsmouth City Council, which owns Portico – Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson -added: ‘I'm delighted to see Portico continue to establish themselves as a multi-use terminal which can be used for a wide range of vessels.

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‘In terms of CO2 emissions per tonne of cargo transported one kilometre, shipping is recognised as the most efficient form of commercial transport. So, by shifting cargo from road to the sea and getting it closer to where it needs to be using regional terminals like Portico, offers significant environmental benefits.’

Alongside this, Portsmouth has also seen two vessels load up with over 7,000 tonnes of agribulks for export to continental Europe. Working with partners at Portsmouth International Port, spare berth capacity was used to facilitate the loading of these ships whilst Portico's conventional berths have been occupied by other customers.

This includes the regular Musketier lo-lo service to the Channel Islands operated by Ferryspeed.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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