STAFF who monitor the movement of ships on the River Tees are celebrating the 150th birthday of the Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority.
Set up by the Tees Conservancy Commissioners on November 9, 1852, the group of politicians, businessmen and industrialists played a key role in developing the town of Middlesbrough.
It was the first time a single authority had existed to monitor trade on the River Tees and its formation drove Teesside's economic expansion.
An Act of Parliament in 1966 established the Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority, which still monitors the waterway.
Martyn Pellew, development director for the port, said: "We have got unrivalled access to a wealth of information of historical interest and learning more about the Tees is fascinating.
"For me, though, the interest is as much in the future of the port as in the past."
"We see very considerable opportunity for expansion and growth for the Tees Valley area if every part of the commercial, economic and political team works together to generate a culture and openness to new ideas in the same way that the Tees Conservancy Commissioners worked over the past 150 years."
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