Port of Sunderland work helping city plan ‘click into place’

‘IT’S certainly changed here over the past decade,”

says Matthew Hunt, as he looks out over the port’s busy quays.

“When I came here in 2010, I remember looking around and visualising how it might look if we were to revive the port, if we brought in more vessels and invested in order to grow.”

And invest is what the port has done.

Little by little, Mr Hunt has overseen infrastructure and investment programmes that have reinvigorated a port that was once known globally as the world’s shipbuilding capital.

“The city has always had that proud maritime history and that’s brilliant.

“But the heritage of a place doesn’t necessarily help its economic fortunes in the here and now.

“It was certainly time for the port to move forward and that’s what we have done.”

Since Mr Hunt’s arrival, the port has invested in a large number of infrastructure improvements and there has been significant capital expenditure when it comes to onsite facilities to ensure it has improved capabilities to bring in lucrative new projects and to attract inward investment.

Buildings standing dormant at the port have been demolished, making way for vast areas of hardstanding that now lend themselves perfectly for cargo, project and inward investment usage.

Major investment has been made to resurface a number of the port’s quays, ensuring previously redundant areas are now well-used.

Land acquisitions have enabled the port to take control of additional space that will be essential to helping it realise its potential.

And the port now has its own heavy lift harbour mobile crane.

The total investment goes well into the millions and there is a sense the stars are aligning for the port.

“We’re a tight knit team at the port, and we are all pulling together and moving in the same direction here,” says Mr Hunt.

“But what is hugely heartening is the fact such unity applies to the city.

“There is a genuine sense of Sunderland being a city in which everything is clicking into place.”

“The investment has been significant - we’ve seen that pay off quickly with the business we’ve brought due to the vast and varied projects we are able to handle.”

The port is less than five minutes from open sea and that natural asset has been enhanced with rail connectivity, which runs to its heart.

“The reinstated rail line means we are a truly multimodal hub now,” says Mr Hunt.

“That’s been helpful and I believe that with new city projects coming on line, the timing was perfect.”

Chief among the projects Mr Hunt’s reinvigorated port will be looking to support is the city’s planned International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP), which will be created on land close to car maker Nissan’s factory.

The park, which spans land in both Sunderland and South Tyneside, will become home to a number of major automotive businesses - part of Nissan’s ambitions to create a closely-located supply chain - many of which will rely on imported materials to manufacture parts.

“The IAMP promises to be a hugely important development for the region, and much of the work undertaken at the port over the course of my time here has been about readiness to take on more projects and ultimately, to ensure it can support major developments like the IAMP.”

So how will the port benefit from IAMP?

“How will IAMP benefit from the port, may well be the important question! We have carved out a fantastic reputation for our responsiveness and the level of service we are able to offer customers, and I think that will be critical.

“We are perfectly placed geographically to support businesses on the park, and add to that the new strategic transport corridor that will run directly from the port, across the Northern Spire and on to a major trunk road connecting the IAMP site, and it is easy to see why we will be the number one choice for manufacturers locating on site.”