PD Ports opens multi-million-pound marine hub at Teesport

PD Ports has opened a multi-million-pound, three-storey marine operations facility at Cargo Fleet Wharf, within Teesport Commerce Park in Middlesbrough, consolidating marine and engineering teams that had worked from Vulcan Street since the 1960s.

The move matters commercially. PD Ports is the Statutory Harbour Authority for the River Tees and the Port of Hartlepool, and its marine teams keep the shipping channels open that serve the Port of Tees and Hartlepool — the UK's sixth-largest port by cargo volume and the largest in North East England.

What does the new facility actually change?

The building houses a specialist workshop for maintaining and repairing marine vessels. For the first time, PD Ports can lift smaller vessels straight from the river onto the quay and move them indoors for work — safer conditions for engineers and faster, more efficient repairs.

That matters because the fleet is busy. Marine crews run dredging, hydrographic surveys, navigational aid maintenance and oil spill response along the Tees and at Hartlepool. Their work underpins commercial shipping and terminal operations across the estuary.

PD Ports designed and delivered much of the project in-house through its own engineering teams, turning to local suppliers where needed.

What is the investment context?

The facility forms part of a wider marine spending programme. The company has also put £23 million into the Emerald Duchess, part of its marine fleet.

CEO Paul Foreman framed the commitment in regional terms. "The River Tees is a major economic asset for our region and our responsibility to it extends far beyond our own operations at Teesport," he said.

Foreman added that PD Ports would keep investing in the infrastructure and expertise needed to maintain safe navigation.

Why shippers should care

For carriers, forwarders and terminal operators calling at Teesport and Hartlepool, the investment signals sustained dredging and marine capability on a trade artery that handles some of the UK's largest cargo volumes. Reliable channel maintenance and faster vessel-repair turnaround reduce the operational risk of navigation disruptions on the Tees.

The replacement of 1960s-era Vulcan Street facilities with a purpose-built hub, backed by the £23m fleet spend, points to continued PD Ports capital deployment across marine infrastructure on the river.