January 2022 – Happy New Year

We welcomed in the new year in North East Lincolnshire with good news announced for two of our key sectors in Seafood and Ports & Logistics. The exciting news announcements for the Humber ports in January come as traders increasingly look to the Humber ports to bring goods into the UK.

Humber Has Decarbonisation Mapped Out on Route to Net Zero

As reported on Business Live, the new decarbonisation map created by Marketing Humber working in partnership with Catch takes in offshore wind, hydrogen production and carbon capture and storage, explaining the link and aiding the holistic view for what the future of our region could look like.

Bill Walker, chairman of Marketing Humber said: “Marketing Humber created the term ‘The UK’s Energy Estuary’ The phrase quickly caught on and the illustrative map we developed to run alongside the resulting campaign continues to play an instrumental role in supporting policymakers, politicians, and the brilliant businesses at the front end of this essential, fast-changing sector, conveying a compelling, cohesive case to secure new investment.

The Humber has achieved more than £40 billion in industry investment in the past eight years, the bulk of it related to new approaches to energy production.”

Stena Line and ABP agree £100m 50-year deal for new Humber terminal

A huge deal between Swedish ferry operator Stena Line and Associated British Ports is behind plans for a new terminal at Port of Immingham.

The two businesses have revealed a £100 million agreement that will see them jointly develop an extensive new roll-on-roll-off facility. Stena Line is one of the largest ferry operators in the world with 18 routes and 37 vessels operating between 13 countries across Northern Europe.

Simon Bird, Humber director at Associated British Ports, said “Stena will be joining a growing family of commercial partners who are choosing to use ABP’s ports in the Humber which have fantastic facilities and connections for traders across Europe and beyond. Our track record in recent years of investing in new infrastructure is making the Humber the place to be for trading links between the Midlands and North of England, and the rest of the world.”

UK Food Valley Seafood Pilot Launched in Grimsby

The Grimsby seafood cluster has launched a £430,000 six-month UK Food Valley pilot programme to help upskill the fish processing workforce in Europe’s largest seafood cluster.

The pilot is supported by the National Centre of Food Manufacturing (NCFM) in Holbeach, part of the University of Lincoln, and is part of the Government’s Community Renewal Fund. It was a priority project supported by North East Lincolnshire Council and the Greater Lincolnshire LEP.

The seafood sector and the NCFM will use this pilot to shape a new centre for food processing education, research, and innovation in Grimsby.

Simon Dwyer, who represents the scores of fish merchanting companies in Grimsby, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for all the businesses in the region, whether a large business or an independent mobile fishmonger, or somewhere in between.

Grimsby’s seafood cluster is one of the largest in the northern hemisphere, employing over 5,500 directly in seafood and fish processing and another 10,000 in the supply chain.”