The Port of Ipswich is situated at the head of the River Orwell, 12 miles (19km) from the open sea and handles 2 million tonnes of cargo per year. It is the UK’s leading grain export port and handles a range of other products such as fertiliser, cement and aggregates.
Throughout our network of 21 ports around Britain, our expert and highly-trained teams are ready to work in partnership to deliver the solutions your business needs.
Backed by a programme of ongoing investment, our ports provide leading facilities and equipment, operated by our expert teams who can safely and efficiently handle a wide variety of different cargoes.
As well as routinely and efficiently handling grain, cement and aggregates, the Port of Ipswich also expertly handles forest products, containers and project cargo as well as a broad portfolio of dry bulk cargo, including animal feed and fertiliser.
Together with our customers, ABP's East Anglian Ports of King’s Lynn, Ipswich and Lowestoft contribute a total of £360 million to the economy every year, support 5,300 jobs nationally.
The port has a team dedicated to safely delivering the highest standards of customer service, ready to work in partnership to help our customers’ businesses to grow.
Connectivity
The Port of Ipswich is a short sailing time from the North Sea shipping lanes, is less than a mile (1.6km) from the town centre and its major trunk roads A14 and A12 are both within easy reach and provide connections to the M25 and M11.
Delivering for customers
ABP is investing heavily into our East Anglian ports in order help us reach our target of net zero from our own activities by 2040.
This includes the procurement of state-of-the-art cranes which allow us to discharge and load vessels quickly and safely.
The Port of Ipswich has three aggregates terminals as well as Coldock Terminal, offering over 16,000sqm of covered warehousing. A dedicated timber-treatment centre offers chromium- and arsenic-free wood preservative whilst Cliff Quay Container Terminal is equipped with a 40-tonne capacity crane and rail-mounted gantries. Specialist plant, equipment, and weighbridges are provided in the port to cater for heavy-lift and project cargoes.
ABP Ipswich has made a multi-million pound investment in terminal facilities, automated lock gates, Ro-Ro facilities and cranes as part of its commitment to continuously improve the service it provides.
In January 2019, the Port of Ipswich invested £700,000 in the construction of a new, de-mountable warehouse, providing extra storage space and improved flexibility, as part of ABP’s ongoing commitment to customers.
The port has also recently invested more than £3 million in two new bulk storage terminals, the Orwell Bulk and Cliff Bulk Terminals, adding more than 7,000sqm of storage space, and also unveiled a new fertiliser bagging and packaging plant at the port.
ABP’s Ipswich Beacon Marina (formally Ipswich Haven), offers convenient access to the historic Ipswich Waterfront and draws thousands of visitors every year.
Sizewell C
ABP’s East Anglian ports of Ipswich and Lowestoft are your gateway to Sizewell C.
When constructed, Sizewell C would be one of the largest nuclear power plants in the UK, contributing significantly to the UK’s energy infrastructure.
Due to the size and complexity of the project, the amount of materials needed is vast, with it expected to be one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the UK.
The transportation, storage and delivery of these materials requires careful planning and coordination, in order to address environmental and logistical considerations.
The logistics support for the Sizewell C supply chain offered by ABP includes experience in handling heavy lift and project cargoes, multimodal connectivity, deep sea access, the construction of bespoke warehousing and more.
ABP’s team at Ipswich has extensive experience in the handling of many types of material and project cargo, and the expertise to deliver the right solutions for your business.
EDF has taken an option for 15 acres of land at Ipswich, which is ideally positioned for many uses, including the handing of aggregate from a virtual quarry, storage of AIL’s (abnormal indivisible loads), steel and general cargo.
Ipswich is 33 nautical miles, and 37 miles by road from the Sizewell site, and as a tri-modal port, Ipswich has access to rail sidings, which makes it ideal for material to be delivered by rail to site, taking HGV’s off the road and saving customers time and money.
Get in touch to find out more: sizewellc@abports.co.uk
Port of Ipswich provides
16,000sqm of covered storageHandles over
£600 million of trade every yearHandles over
2 million tonnes of cargo per yearNotices to Mariners in force are listed below.
Ipswich
2024
34 Depths at the Port of Ipswich & River Orwell
19 MV Reimerswaal – Ipswich Power Station Berth
18 Ipswich Tidal Barrier Tests
09a Towage exemptions – River Orwell
01 Notice To Mariners In Force List
2023
30/2023 - Leisure Users Advice - Safety of Navigation on the River Orwell
29/2023 - Non-Routine Towage Assessment
2022
06 River Orwell - Speed Buoy near Downham Re-Located
2019
10 Navigation Buoys on the River Orwel
2010
08 Water Ski Area - Boundary Buoys
2008
09 Bunkering Procedure Safety Checklist
2006
10 Vessels Overtaking and Passing in River Orwell
2005
05 Health and Safety During Ship Mooring Operations
2004
11 Dangers of Unattended Moorings
East Anglia
2024
Marine Aggregate Industry Survey Notification
2022
02a Updated Information for Leisure vessels arriving from outside the UK
02 Leisure vessels arriving from outside the UK
01 Sanctions against Russian Shipping
2021
For ABP’s standard terms and conditions, please click here.