Bristol Port Completes New Steel Facility Despite COVID Crisis

Amid a decline in infrastructure investment during the COVID-19 crisis, Bristol Port bucked the trend by pressing ahead with the building of a multi-million-pound steel handling facility at Royal Portbury Dock.

The construction of the new 74,600-square-foot facility began in March. It was specifically designed for the handling of high-quality steel coil, augmenting the existing infrastructure at the port. With a high percentage of receivers based in the Midlands and South Wales, Bristol is the closest deep-water port to this important steel market, significantly reducing delivery costs and reducing road transport emissions.

However, this is not the first time that Bristol Port and exclusive cargo partner GP Logistics have handled steel. “We have successfully handled steel coil imports since early 2017, and receivers have been able to improve their productivity, thanks to the port’s close proximity to the M5 motorway. Discussions with importers looking for deep sea capacity gave us the confidence to invest further in this trade,” James Stangroom,
Commercial Manager at the port said. “Our current warehousing has been running at high capacity for the past couple of years and so we are pleased to be able to boost this particular trade further at the port.”

The new warehouse, which is only 50 meters from the unloading berth, features an overhead crane to allow for higher storage density and more efficient picking and storing of coil, leading to improved service levels for the port’s customers.

Bristol Port’s partner GP Logistics has played an important role in the project and will continue to provide complementary services for steel cargoes.

“Shipping lines have made commitments to regular calls at Royal Portbury Dock and we look forward to being of service to the wider steel community,” David Pegg, Commercial Director at GP Logistics said. “GP Logistics are handling the cargo as partners to The Bristol Port Company and are also offering customs clearance, road haulage and associated services. With sister company GP Shipping acting as ships agent for the vessels, a smooth and efficient vessel arrival and discharge is assured.” 

Earlier this month Bristol Port welcomed its first shipment of steel that arrived on the Orient Dynasty, which was offloaded and stored in the new warehouse. Watch a video of the operation:
 

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