Leading the UK’s green energy transition

Hello listeners, welcome to the Portside perspective podcast by Port Strategy and Greenport, where you'll hear the latest in the port and shipping industry. This time we talked to Andrew Doors, Regional Director Humber at ABP, about the operators current and future activities and how they fit in with ABP's overall business strategy and decarbonisation aims. We also discuss how the short-seam market is a key market for ABP Humber going forward, and its role is host of the co-sync conference in 2026. Andrew, thank you very much for joining us and for your time today. It's a pleasure to have you here talking with us. Really like to talk with you about a number of things really today, firstly about ABP's overall business strategy and then ABP Humber ports as well. But first of all, I think can you talk to us just a bit about which particular project ABP is a whole is focusing on and then perhaps about a little bit more focusing on the ABP Humber, where your efforts have focused at this moment in time. Thank you very much. Thanks for the opportunity to be able to talk about this today. I'm often asked what does ABP do? Internal family may ask me or members of the public. ABP has clear two missions now. Historically it was one mission being keep Britain trading. And we've added to that to supporting and enabling the energy transition. So it's very clear what's that actually mean? What does keep Britain trading and why is that? So 90% of UK trade travels by sea, sea-borne trade. ABP being the largest port operator receiving those goods. And the Humber alone represents 17% of UK sea-borne trade comes in and out of the Humber. And that's multiple sectors whether it be oil and gas, hydrocarbons, where our sales and our partners have refined products somewhere between 25 and 30% of UK national input comes from the Humber region. So if we were to close that would be a significant impact nationally, critical infrastructure. But as we dig into that, timber, historic port originally built hundreds of years ago for short sea timber imports and exports from Scandinavia and other. We're one of the largest ports in the UK and food, stuffs and consumable goods, agricultural products through the construction product. It's quite phenomenal as we dig into that. And that future looking part of our business, as Britain's energy independence energy, security, demand, and energy transition comes on board. We both support the current, so Dracks Power Station imports large portions of its biomass through the port. And also enabling the energy transition we support offshore wind. Greenport hull was successfully built and semenes would become one of the leading offshore blade manufacturers. And they took the very deliberate choice to employ a thousand people, employ people within ten miles of their doorstep, the factory doorstep, re-skilling, retraining, really impacting that. And that's happened, that's historic. And we're now, we've received the largest offshore wind installation vessel just a few weeks ago here in hull to place wind turbines out into the British coastline, which is fantastic. Do we have those very two clear missions that we look to support? So our hunger strategy is very much in line with our national strategy. Yeah, that makes total sense. And the energy transition, Andrew, is here and now, obviously right in saying there. So I mean, that leads quite nicely into the next question that I was going to ask you in terms of business strategy going forward. And you've spoken a bit there about the offshore wind vessel calling just more recently and about your focus on the renewable sector there. But can you talk to us a bit more about APP Humber's business strategy going forward? And specifically with regards to the energy transition, perhaps, and what you're focusing on. So it comes in two main forms. As I've mentioned, Siemens and others, the production and support of offshore wind installation RWA and others have facilities where they support those offshore winds and those bases were geographically placed here uniquely to support large portions of that North Sea installation. So we're the ideal place for that. And for people to come together and collaborate around those opportunities. So as shipping routes look to decarbonise or current industries here, we look at supporting the hydrogen journey for the country with hydrogen or ammonia imports. We have projects large infrastructure projects to support that or the fuel transition for shipping, whether it be carbon capture and storage. We're working with partners around those. This is future. We look at our EVA projects and we've just had an event down in London that showcases startup initiatives that would capture carbon alongside through two existing players such as DFDS, PNO, Stenner and others, looking at shore power facilities. So as green energy is available and we can look at shore power for vessels whilst they're calling or new energy types, ethanol, hydrogen and others. The bunkering of those vessel types here, fuel types here are being worked on by bespoke strategy teams, business development teams within our company. Yeah, absolutely. And there's not a one size fits all approach and that's what we're hearing more and more in the industry. So it's about catering for these different sectors. There's an Andrew going forward and everyone using looking towards perhaps different fuels in the energy transition. And electrification, which I mean, we're doing lots of work towards as well. So I guess with that in mind, you know, talking about the energy transition and the mix of your alternative fuels and the different markets that you're catering towards, you know, short-seed, fairies, containers. Where do you feel some of the main opportunities lie, certainly for ABP Humber going forward? And interestingly, what obstacles do you feel? Some of the main obstacles that you feel that you might need to overcome in the near future to be able to. Well, that's an interesting addition to that question. So fuel types, we will strategically plan long term along with our partners, our shipping community, our operating partners here, standard DFDS others. And we also have container vessels that come across. So as they plan to change fleets and to decarbonise that maritime sector, we would look at short-based support for that. I've always mentioned short power, bunkering of new fuel types and the receivable and distribution of those news folks. We need to be ahead of that. It's an infrastructure play that we need to be involved in and not necessarily ourselves, but with third party providers alongside it. The other piece I think it's interesting because it's trade. So when we look at carbon capture, written has planned with the carbon CCS pipeline, making CCS and its partners, we have the opportunity and the ability now if planning goes ahead and some of those are the inhibitors and looking at the structure. So the recent European alignment with UK carbon markets should enable European exports of captured carbon to be shipped to the UK for storage under the North Sea. So that's an exciting opportunity to further develop UK trade. It's a market that's not currently there today and we need to be ahead of that. So we've had plans in place for many years. We've got DCO orders in place planning in place. We need other government policy to be finalised for us to finalise those projects. So with that in mind, can you talk to us about some of the hunger developments that perhaps might line up with some of these things that we've been talking about? So we've worked with air products for its facility to receive the importation of ammonia, green ammonia for the production of hydrogen here and the distribution of hydrogen. That's a project that we've got planning permission for DCO. Alongside that same infrastructure is the carbon capture of Ikex CCS pipelines with its partners. We do everything from future other companies, but we're also looking to decarbonise our own operations. If you look at the Humber area, and I know we have four ports that are often referred to as their individual names, but ABP, we just say ABP Humber, we serve that geographical location. And as a community of ports, we're one of the largest in Europe. We're probably the fourth largest port in Europe. If you have that combined Humber port view. We're the largest carbon emitting industrial cluster in the UK. So if we're going to support the UK's ambition to decarbonise industry, you can't decarbonise the UK without decarbonising that Humber area. So that carbon capture and storage with partners like Philip 66 Dracks and many others will enable that step change of carbon reduction, and the carbon capture being piped and stored under the North Sea. Also, what are we doing? We've got more solar panels being installed, we've got wind turbines being put in place and we've got monetary amounts alongside supporting others in the community to to carbonise as we move forward. The worker, ABP Humber, wants that falls into place. You can see what a dramatic effect it's going to have on a national scale, Andrew, as well, which I think is really exciting stuff. Yeah, and we're big supporters of that and I know there are a lot of areas in the UK asking for government support and to be first in line for this. And we would, we present our argument very strongly to say if it's the largest industrial admitting cluster this area, you get the most bang for the buck here. Where else would you do it? And we would look to push to support that. But nationally we support other projects too. Or Talbert, floating offshore wind and others, it's not unique to the Humber. We have a national, we see it as a national duty to support that transition as we move forward. Absolutely, perfect, you make sense. Can we move on, Andrew, and talk a little bit about short sea shipping as a sector? And certainly, you know, you're at Humber itself and what projects you may have going on at this time, where you feel that you're at and where the opportunities lie for that market in the future, perhaps a little bit. Excellent. And historically we've serviced this market. And when I say historically, I was just reading a plaque we have on the wall from the 1700s when the first keys were put in here in Hull. So we service certain market sectors. It's not uniquely the continental Europe, but short sea services is a predominant market for us. Whether it be timber or ro-ro vessels that come across roll-on-roll vessels. And we also have container vessels that are typically short sea. So we talk about large container terminals being Southampton, London Gateway, Felix, now and others. Just one of our customers here handles a million TU equivalent. So DFDS alone, so quite comparable. And if we add what is all unitised cargo, we're a significant part of that and a significant part of that is the European trade. And when trade routes are affected, whether it be tariff sanctions or trade deals, and if we look at the positive end of that story, that as Britain is signing new trade deals, we're supporting keeping Britain trading, we would look to say how will those trade flows occur. So we support British farmers, pork and sausages and ground beef products, and now proposed to be easier exports to Europe. We will support those exports from our surrounding area, from our contestable market areas. So we will look to support that and continue to grow that. We mentioned earlier in our discussion today as we look to consolidate, so keep in Britain trading efficiently and effectively. So when we look to upgrade and drive efficiency larger ships, we have investment plans alongside our partners, Stena for example, for new row row terminals, we'll allow them to bring bigger vessels, bringing supply chain efficiency to their customers and to the market to Britain's trade. So that's Britain trading more effectively, more efficiently, more timely, handling the changes in UK trade policy and supporting that. We see ourselves as an infrastructure player to support this trade. This is not trade specifically handled by ourselves, but it comes across our broader port infrastructure. And that partnership currently plans with Stena, we're working on plans with DFDS. We constantly work with our container line operators to invest both historically and our container terminals with our lift on and off the off and where we're able to add value to their supply change from our infrastructure investment or where we're able to do it ourselves and say market that we're able to serve. So we play a unique role here in Britain's short sea market. Absolutely and it's very quickly changing as well, isn't it? I have to say rapidly evolving. UK trade deals, I was watching that with eager anticipation. I'm sure you are. Aren't we all? Absolutely. So there's going to be a lot of changes taking place. We know that have been over the last five years. It's been the change in the sector that we work in, has been exponential and expect. It will probably continue over the next few years as well. So with that in mind, Andrew, why is it so important? Do you feel that ABP and the Humber in particular is taking its turn in holding the coasting conference, which is dedicated to short sea shipping, Rau-Rau and the ferry sector? Why do you think that's so important for ABP to be the host next year? I think we've got a lot to showcase. Historically, goods have entered and exited the UK from multiple choices. The UK channeled over ports are, I have a dominant position in this regard, but we're servicing this central corridor industrial markets. And when we look at our contestable markets, we've got a lot to showcase both from our historic ability to service and our upcoming uplift of infrastructure. We're deploying hundreds of millions of dollars in new infrastructure that will drive supply chain efficiency. And it's not just for UK goods, so goods traveling to Northern Ireland from the continent, short sea, will often come across in a ship to us, road bridge across the country and then into Ireland as well. So we have a lot to showcase. We're geographically blessed by our location and our contestable serviceable market from there. And we're looking to share that and to say where can we do things better, where can we collaborate with others to support our greater industry? As we said, we're not investing for ABP. We're doing it as our role to in supporting Britain's trade, effective, cost-effective, ensuring our UK exports get to market cost-effectively, so we're able to trade effectively. And likewise, with our trading partners around the world, including those short sea origins of cargo, that we're able to service that effectively as a supply chain. I would add to that, so one example I would add to that is we have investment tax-efficient zones, high-planed, so it's a tax-efficient zone that gives tax advantages for new investments. So as aging, cold chain infrastructure comes to end of life in the UK, efficiencies will say we look to consolidate it into single location and rebuild. So that's a great cost to the industry. So if we can do that in a tax-efficient zone, consolidation and economies of scale, at a port location with access to green energy, so we would look to further decarbonise that supply chain, which is very important to the food supply chain, food processing on a tax-efficient site, construction on a tax-efficient site, at the local, where the goods are entering and accessing the UK, which is superb. And we're looking at that ecosystem around our ports to ensure that we're able to support that transition. And that's a very specific food chain within a short-seed service. But our hope, and we hope, and we're working with our partners, investment partners, to ensure that as these cold chain facilities in the UK, which is very aging infrastructure, not energy-efficient, we look to bring that on site, this rebuild, cost-effectively, consolidation and scale. Yeah, I think it's wonderful. Some wonderful opportunities are there. And we have additional land available for other supply chains that we could do. So close to poor access industrial units that we're building. So we want to showcase this and look for partners and showcase this well to say, we have this capability here. And share our thoughts in our future roadmap with the attendees of the conference. That's wonderful. Andrew, so in a nutshell, thank you very much for talking to us today. But just why in a nutshell, should people be making sure that CoastLink 2026 is on their radar? Why should they be coming along? What can they look forward to from ABP's? What would they look forward to? I think they will have a fresh look at the UK poor infrastructure. We're not this history is rich. So we have service this rich vein of Britain's trade, but that forward looking is the most exciting poor. That's what brought me here to the Humber. And that's what I'm most looking forward to celebrating. We often say people don't know the criticality of importance and it's closed or it's disrupted. Thankfully, that's not very often. But if we get a chance to showcase it and to really say this is what we're doing, this is where we are, this is where our investments are not only supporting Britain's efficient trade, but also supporting that energy transformation. I'm sure the attendees will be pleasantly surprised and pleased with what they find. We're looking forward to it. Andrew, thank you ever so much for that. That was my most difficult question. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you to Andrew and to ABP for their time there. For more information on ABP's business activities, please Please visit www.abports.co.uk. For more information on CoastLink 2026, please visit www.portstrasse.com for more news going forward. Thank you for listening to Portside Perspective Podcast by Port Strategy and Greenport. Follow us to make sure you don't miss any future episodes.