A NORTH-EAST dock, which once sent helicopters to the Falkland Islands and acts as an international gateway for regional firms, has marked its 50th anniversary.

Tees Dock was the first dock to be built in the UK since the Second World War and replaced Middlesbrough Dock, which is now the Middlehaven development.

Now part of PD Ports' wider Teesport estate, which employs about 1,250 workers and handles about 34 million tonnes of cargo every year, it is responsible for shipping millions of tonnes of steel slab from Redcar iron and steelmaker SSI UK to Thailand and Turkey.

The dock was officially opened 50 years ago today (Friday, October 4) with just 25 dockers, and yesterday hosted an event to mark the occasion.

The day featured a special anniversary cake that was iced by Tees Dock's youngest worker, 19-year-old Aadil Hassan, from Redcar, and made by Middlesbrough College, which has worked with PD Ports to deliver training for more than 70 workers.

David Robinson, PD Ports’ chief executive, said: “Tees Dock and the Teesport estate is the core of our business.

“After opening in 1963 with just two cranes and a warehouse, our business has grown to become an international hub handling goods from all over the world.”

See northernecho.co.uk/business for an in-depth feature on Tees Dock's 50 years, including workers' stories, and our dock picture archive.