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Forth Ports lands agri hub role for Rosyth

[ July 3, 2018   //   ]

Agri firm Cefetra has signed a long- term contract to use the port of Rosyth in central Scotland. Owners Forth Ports will develop Rosyth to provide Cefetra with a purpose-built facility that will become the company’s main agri-hub in Scotland, handling an extensive range of products.

Forth Ports said that Rosyth’s location and logistical links to the motorway network, make it ideally suited to supply all areas of Scotland and Northern England and, being near to continental Europe, has advantages in short sea freight.

Rosyth was until recently the Scottish terminus of DFDS’s freight ro ro service to and from Zeebrugge which was abandoned after the sole vessel caught fire and the operator was unable to find a replacement. However, Forth ports has vowed to find alternative uses for Rosyth, including agri business and project cargo, taking advantage of the port’s easy access to the Scottish trunk road system.

The port will be deepened to provide a true deep-water port capable of taking vessels carrying up to 50,000 tonnes of cargo. The existing storage facilities will be enhanced with the addition of a new, extensive, purpose built agricultural products terminal, increasing the storage capacity to around 100,000 tonnes.

Ceftra managing director Andrew Mackay said: “The new Rosyth Agri- hub will enable us to continue to serve our valued customers. We expect to increase the efficiency of our supply chains, taking advantage of scale and location, to bring additional benefits to our customers and to Scottish agriculture. Our expectation is to develop an annual throughput in excess of 500,000 tonnes of agricultural products, worth more than £100 million.”

Chief executive officer of Forth Ports, Charles Hammond, commented: “It’s great to have reached an agreement with Cefetra that will see us execute on another significant investment programme for a customer; reflecting our strategy of working with our customers to deliver supply chain solutions. The development at the Port of Rosyth reflects the port’s unrivalled logistics links as well as its excellent marine capability.”

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