As part of his focus on strengthening the local economy, James Wild MP met with Associated British Ports (ABP) to review planned upgrades for King’s Lynn port and tour the site.
James met Paul Ager, Divisional Port Manager, East Coast, and Victoria Fleming-Williams, Public Affairs Manager, who provided a presentation on the planned upgrades for King’s Lynn Port.
ABP is the UK’s largest port operator with 21 ports, and handles 25% of UK port traffic, worth £150bn. The port in King’s Lynn handles around 400,000 tonnes of cargo per year primarily timber, argibulk products, manufacturing and recycling. ABP also contribute significantly to the UK's net zero transformation, providing the bases for offshore green energy project and industrial decarbonisation.
James reviewed progress on a £7m project to create a new bulk store for Azelis, a supplier of chemicals and food ingredients to more than 2,000 customers in the UK. This is the single largest investment in the port and will be the first bulk storage warehouse in East Anglia to be constructed under the new Industrial Frameworks Contract and is due to be completed in March 2025.
They also spoke about skills challenges and the investment ABP makes in its staff through the ABP Academy and apprenticeship programme as well as the Norfolk for Jobs campaign to create more opportunities for people locally.
Speaking after the visit, James said:
“It was great to get an update on ABP’s plans to continue to invest in the port in Lynn and see progress on the new £7 million project which will bring more business to our local area.. The port plays a vital role for our local economy and ABP is committed to developing a skilled workforce and offering apprenticeships”.
