Peel Ports to Invest £50 Million in Deep-Water Terminal at Great Yarmouth

Peel Ports Group has announced a £50 million investment to expand the Port of Great Yarmouth with a new deep-water terminal at the outer harbour. 

Under the proposals, Peel Ports will add 350 metres of quay, a roll-on/roll-off ramp, a heavy lift pad and approximately 10 hectares of strengthened outdoor storage.

The scheme is designed to accommodate larger vessels and specialist cargoes serving wind-farm and oil-and-gas construction, as well as major civil engineering works.

The development responds to rising demand from onshore and offshore infrastructure projects across the southern North Sea.

Positioned on the UK’s east coast, Great Yarmouth already offers one of the deepest non-tidal berths available to UK operators. Its existing terminals handle a range of heavy lift and break-bulk shipments, but the new southern facility will significantly boost capacity and operational flexibility.

“The Port of Great Yarmouth has been supporting major offshore and inland and offshore energy projects for over six decades, and we are seeing that demand continue to grow, with real momentum now building behind some major projects,” said Port Director at Peel Ports Great Yarmouth, Richard Goffin. 

“The port is ideally located to support the construction of vital infrastructure projects and is less restricted than its east coast competitors who are impacted by items such as locks, shallow approach channels and road transport bottlenecks”.

Plans for the terminal include reinforced quayside berthing capable of handling vessels up to 200 metres in length and lifting capacities exceeding 200 tonnes. The Ro-Ro ramp will facilitate rapid loading and unloading of tracked machinery and components, while the heavy lift pad will support the assembly of wind-turbine foundations, monopiles and substation modules.

The expanded storage area of 10 hectares will be laid to high-strength sub-base and paved surfacing to withstand heavy loads. This space will also be fitted with dedicated truck marshalling lanes and covered laydown areas for high-value components.

Peel Ports plans to upgrade existing access roads and provide direct links to nearby rail sidings, reducing truck-haul distances.

Pending final planning approval and environmental consents, construction is expected to begin early next year, with phased delivery of quayside and storage works throughout 2025 and 2026.

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