A massive tanker ship that could carry the Titanic in its hold has docked at the Port of Sunderland.
At 183m long, the Torm Australia required three tug boats to guide the ship in and out of the port and is one of the largest fertiliser vessels to ever visit our shores. Carrying the Danish flag and with a capacity of 49,999 tonne, the ship has brought nitrogen fertiliser from the Americas to the UK, reducing the nation’s reliance on fertilisers sourced from traditional domestic and near-continental suppliers that are in short supply.
Fertilisers aid farmers in being more productive, efficient and cost-effective. The fertilisers will be stored at Brineflow’s new purpose-built, deep-water fertiliser terminal before being processed and delivered to directly to farms throughout the country.
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Not only does the new terminal give the UK reliable access to global supplies of fertiliser, but it is also fast becoming a critical piece of the nation’s infrastructure, with sufficient capacity to meet peak demand in the spring to replace domestic sources of fertiliser production which have been curtailed.
Matthew Hunt, director at Port of Sunderland, said: “We have worked closely with Brineflow since they opened their first terminal at the port in 2021 and we are thrilled that they are continuing to invest in the city. As well as creating jobs at the terminal, they have also supported jobs throughout the supply chain and at the port and the new terminal coming into operation will only see the company continue to build on its success.
“We’re delighted to have them in the city and are looking forward to seeing them continue to go from strength-to-strength.”
Bringing fertilisers from some of the world’s lowest-cost producers will bear-down on the cost of living while the new terminal has been engineered to reduce fertilisers’ total carbon and nitrous emissions by a fifth compared to traditional fertilisers as they make their journey from factory to field.
John Fuller OBE, chairman of Brineflow, said: “This is the first vessel to open up new global fertiliser markets for the UK and will place Sunderland at the heart of UK agricultural supply industry with the lowest environmental impact.
“We are already planning subsequent voyages and exploring the onward shipping of this imported product to other destinations in the UK, including our sister facility in Great Yarmouth and even exporting to Europe by smaller ship tankers.”
The Torm Australia will be the first of many giant tankers to dock at the port following the signing of a strategic joint venture between Brineflow and German agricultural giant HELM AG in November. Headquartered in Hamburg, HELM AG is a producer of fertiliser with extensive liquid nitrogen [UAN] manufacturing capabilities in Trinidad, meaning it can ship large vessels to the British market from an area unconstrained by European gas shortages.
Mr Fuller added: “The UK’s reliance on European fertilisers produced with Russian gas has caused severe damage to our food supply and the economy in recent years, however the joint venture with HELM AG will help secure our food supply for years to come. We will have the capacity to deal with producers far and wide, making our farmers far more competitive while bringing costs down for consumers.
“It’s a huge milestone for not only the sector, but for the nation, and we’re delighted to be playing such a key role in helping secure the nation’s food supply.”
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