Associated British Ports , the UK’s leading and best-connected ports operator, and Clarksons Port Services , one of the UK’s largest port services and vessel agency businesses, have come together to mark 25 years of ABP’s ownership of the Port of Ipswich and Clarkson’s tenure of the port’s Sentinel Terminal.

To celebrate this milestone, ABP and Clarksons jointly hosted an event at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford on Thursday 20th April.

Guests at the event, who included representatives from ABP and Clarksons, as well as other businesses that operate from the Port of Ipswich such as, Southern Cement, Slicker, Brett, Tarmac Limited, East Coast Marine Aggregates, Qube containers and Spirit Yachts, had access to a variety of aircraft before dining under the wing of the Concorde. They were also treated to a demonstration of the famous Concorde ‘nose drop’.

On the night, guests also raised over £1000 for St Elizabeth Hospice in a charity raffle. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of ABP’s partnership with the local charity, and in the course of this time, ABP’s Port of Ipswich has helped to raise £78,000 to support people living with progressive and life-limiting illnesses in Suffolk.

Andrew Harston, Director, Wales & Short Sea Ports, ABP, said:

“In 1996, the decision was taken to put the Port of Ipswich up for sale and the conditions for selecting the purchaser were centred around its continued operations and further development.

“Since 25 March 1997, when the port was sold to ABP, the Port of Ipswich has celebrated many milestones, including becoming the UK’s number one grain export port, which demonstrates how ABP has lived up to the primary ambition of enhancing port operations. Other milestones have included: 

• ABP investing £49.6m in the port since 2012 and handling 68.4 million tonnes of cargo between 1997 and 2022
• Investing in new lock gates to the Wet Dock, and enabling the re-development of the two marinas and the Ipswich Waterfront
• The construction of 607,111sq ft of new shed space, including the Sentinel Terminal
• Introducing two of the UK’s first fully electric Mantsinen cranes
• Being the UK’s number one grain export port in every year since 2004.

The event provided a fantastic opportunity to look back and celebrate everything we have achieved over the past 25 years, but also allowed us to look forward to the next 25 years and beyond, as we work together to Keep Ipswich Trading, as it has been almost continuously via the port since the year 600.”

Julian Scott, General Manager, Clarksons Port Services Sentinel Terminal said:

“Clarksons Port Services is delighted to celebrate this milestone event with Associated British Ports at such a nostalgic place as Duxford Imperial War Museum. 

“CPS has worked very closely over the last 25 years with ABP, and during this time ABP has provided us with new buildings and infrastructure enabling us to support new and existing customers to a very high standard. This has also further reinforced Ipswich as a place of strategic national importance in relation to agribulk exports and imports.

Since the Sentinel Terminal was completed in December 1997, and officially opened on 22 January 1998, more than 7.5 million tonnes of cargo has been handled through the facility.

“We look forward to continuing our close working relationship with ABP both now and in the future.”