Shipping Minister visits Port of Tyne to get glimpse of future

Robert Courts MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Shipping Minister, paid a visit to the Port of Tyne on Thursday, October 2021, to learn more about its Tyne 2050 Strategy.

During the visit, the Minister met the port’s chairwoman Lucy Armstrong and chief executive officer Matt Beeton, CEO, to discuss the strategy – a long-term vision they say will see the Tyne remain a gateway for regional transformation focusing on the economy, safety, people and the environment for decades to come.

As part of Tyne 2050, chiefs at the port have committed to being carbon neutral by 2030 – and since its launch less than two years ago, carbon emissions have already been cut by some 27%.

Mr Courts met the port’s technology and transformation director, Dr Jo North, who provided an update on the UK’s first 2050 Maritime Innovation Hub – a hothouse for collaborating with industry to create innovative solutions to challenges across the international maritime and logistics markets.

The Minister was also taken on a river and land tour which included viewing many of the development sites available in the 200 acre Tyne Clean Energy Park, one of the ‘most versatile’ clean energy sites in the North East. As part of the trip, the Minister was shown the impressive site for the Equinor operations and maintenance base, which will service the world’s largest wind farm at Dogger Bank.

Plans were approved for the hub in July 2021, and industry leaders say the move will put South Tyneside at the centre of a green industry revolution, bringing hundreds of jobs to the area.

Mr Beeton said: “We were delighted to welcome the Minister to the Port and show the progress we’ve made on our ambitious Tyne 2050 objective.

"It’s imperative that the ports industry is progressive and innovative in order drive economic and social value and we believe we are at the forefront of that drive. That’s why new markets like offshore and renewables are coming to the Tyne and wider region.”

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