Associated British Ports  has made two key appointments at its container terminals strengthening its unitised operations at the ports of Immingham and Hull.

Jamie Pearson is now Head of Unitised Operations (Humber), a new position created to reinforce the region’s important role in short sea shipping routes and shippers’ direct access to northern and Midlands markets, and Alex Pickett has been promoted to Immingham Container Terminal Manager – the role previously held by Jamie.

The appointments come as ABP continues to invest in the Humber container terminals, which have grown by more than 40% over the last five years, and together the two offer 26 vessel calls a week connecting the Humber to destinations across Europe and beyond.

Colin McLoughlin, Head of Operations, Humber said: ““These are two important appointments for our Humber operations. The creation of the Head of Unitised role reflects the importance of this area of our business and gives us dedicated strategic leadership, while Alex’s appointment provides continued focus on the safe and efficient day-to-day operation of Immingham Container Terminal.

“Jamie and Alex bring strong experience and knowledge to their respective roles, and I’m confident they will make a real contribution as we strengthen our unitised offer and continue delivering a high-quality service for our customers.”

Jamie, who has worked for ABP for nine years, and has progressed the career ladder within the business, will also oversee the two border control posts and any future ABP RoRo opportunities.

Jamie Pearson, Head of Unitised Operations said: “We want to continue growing our container terminals by attracting new customers and developing new opportunities. As part of that, we’ll be looking at both deep-sea and short-sea markets, while planning our future operations to ensure we’re well placed to support our customers and capitalise on future growth.”

Alex joined ABP eleven years ago as a Mechanical Apprentice, and until recently was Engineering Lead overseeing work on the cranes in ICT.

Alex added: “I’ve worked with ICT for many years through my previous role as engineering lead, so I already have a strong understanding of the terminal and its operations. Moving into the ICT Manager role is an exciting next step for me, and I’m looking forward to combining that engineering experience with operational leadership and working with the team to take the terminal forward.”

ABP has invested £50 million in its Humber container terminals, including new reachstackers, terminal management systems, supporting more than 500,000 TEU a year.