Forth Ports has been operating for over 50 years and through continued investment and acquisitions has grown to be the third largest port operator group in the UK.
The business was taken private in 2011 by Arcus Infrastructure Partners and PSP Investments (which is the Public Sector Pension Investment Board in Canada with about C£168bn under management). In October 2018, PSP bought Arcus’ shareholding to become the majority shareholder with co-investors, including First State Super, Cbus and GLIL, all of whom have long term investment horizons.
Investment to fuel growth has always been and remains a core strategy for Forth Ports. Their continuous commitment to investing for the future has positioned Forth Ports as a market leader in supporting major and specialist projects for customers across a vast array of industries, adding real value in the process.
Now with over 1,100 employees, Forth Ports Group has grown to be a major UK employer, key contributor to the national economy, and trusted partner to an ever-increasing number of industry leading customers. Their 8 ports handle 41 million tonnes of cargo each year, assisting in developing logistics flows across the UK and supporting many key industries. Their ports include the largest in London, Tilbury, which generates 50% of Group revenue, and the largest in Scotland, Grangemouth, as well as Leith, Rosyth, Dundee and three smaller Fife ports.
From a financial standpoint, Forth Ports is in extremely good health with current revenues of £250m+, EBITDA of £110m+ and significant investment plans very much underway across all areas of the portfolio which will deliver strong growth in the coming years. The business has been very resilient, including in more recent times through the pandemic, with a 20-year earnings CAGR of 6%.
A major part of this growth follows a £1bn investment programme launched in 2012 at the Port of Tilbury, which is nearing completion. This investment has seen developments including a 152-acre ‘Tilbury2’ port extension, and a 70-acre distribution park featuring the largest warehouse in Europe, at over two million square feet of storage space, now operated by Amazon UK, recognising the importance of Tilbury’s proximity to London and the Southeast. In addition, investments are being made in all the other major ports, including in Dundee and Leith, in support of the fast growing offshore wind sector.
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