The Immingham Eastern Ro-Ro Terminal (IERRT), a joint investment by Associated British Ports (ABP) and Stena Line at the Port of Immingham, marked a major milestone in its delivery with a steel signing ceremony.
Keir Mather, Minister for Maritime, Aviation and Decarbonisation officially signed one of the marine piles alongside other guests, at the start of the marine works to deliver the infrastructure for the £200+ million freight ferry terminal due to open in 2028.
The IERRT project is a key component of ABP’s strategy to strengthen the UK's supply chains and improve trade connectivity, while also bringing substantial economic benefits regionally and for the UK, including the creation of hundreds of jobs during construction and ongoing operations.
Andrew Dawes, Regional Director of the Humber ports, said:
“This is a major milestone in the development of the new terminal, which will provide much-needed additional capacity to meet growing demand from businesses both in the UK and in northern Europe.
“IERRT will strengthen the Humber Estuary’s role in supporting an effective, efficient, competitive and resilient UK Ro-Ro freight sector. It will also respond to the trend for larger and more sustainable Ro-Ro vessels, which require larger port infrastructure and additional landside space.”
Carl-Johan Hellner, COO of Stena Line Ports & Terminals said:
“This new terminal represents a major investment in the future of freight transport through the Humber and demonstrates the confidence we have in the region's long-term economic potential.
“We have seen sustained growth in customer demand across our freight network, and the development of this terminal is a direct response to that demand. It will provide the capacity, efficiency and flexibility needed to support future growth while strengthening vital trade links between the UK and Europe.”
Keir Mather, Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister, said:
“This investment will support exactly the kind of ambitious infrastructure project we need to grow the economy, create hundreds of jobs, and strengthen the UK’s maritime sector.
“We’re working with industry to unlock private investment into UK maritime – including through the National Wealth Fund. I look forward to seeing this project deliver for communities across Yorkshire and the Humber ahead of its opening in 2028.”
The milestone was celebrated on site with representatives from freight businesses and the main contractor for the project, Dragados. As well as supporting and growing jobs in the businesses using IERRT, the project itself is the source of additional employment. It will create c700 jobs during the construction phase and then c200 permanent jobs once fully operational.
Steve Holmes, Managing Director of Dragados UK & Ireland, added:
"The commencement of the marine works marks a significant milestone for this strategically important project. Dragados is proud to be working alongside ABP and Stena Line to deliver a state-of-the-art freight terminal that will strengthen the UK's trade infrastructure for decades to come.
"Our team brings extensive experience in delivering complex maritime and civil engineering projects, and we are committed to constructing this facility safely, efficiently and sustainably, while creating opportunities for local businesses, apprentices and the wider community throughout the construction phase."
ABP and Stena Line are leading players in the maritime sector that is vital for enabling the growth of a maritime nation such as the UK. Both companies have both been playing a crucial trade enabling role for decades and are ambitious to invest and grow their contributions further.
Dragados, as one of Europe's leading infrastructure and marine construction companies, is delivering the marine works package, including the installation of the piled berth structure that will enable the terminal to accommodate the next generation of larger Ro-Ro vessels.
IERRT provides a more resilient and sustainable supply chain solution option for UK businesses and is an important inward investment opportunity for UK logistics infrastructure. The ferry terminal is expected to be completed by May 2028.
Once operational, the terminal will enhance freight connectivity between the UK and Europe, helping to meet growing demand while supporting more efficient and sustainable freight movements.
Separately, ETFuels has selected Immingham for Project King's Road, establishing the Humber as the home of its flagship next-generation aviation fuels refinery
Project King's Road brings advanced manufacturing, innovation and high-skilled jobs to Greater Lincolnshire, helping establish the Humber as the UK's leading hub for advanced fuel production
ETFuels has selected Associated British Port’s (ABP) Port of Immingham as the location for Project King's Road, a first-of-a-kind advanced fuels refinery that will establish a new manufacturing industry in the Humber and strengthen the UK's position as a leader in next-generation aviation fuels.
The project represents a significant investment in Greater Lincolnshire and the Humber, creating around 1,000 construction jobs and 400 permanent skilled engineering, operations and manufacturing roles while strengthening Britain's energy security and industrial competitiveness.
It will also act as a catalyst for the wider Humber clean energy cluster, helping unlock investment across hydrogen, carbon capture, sustainable fuels, ports and associated infrastructure. Together, these developments are expected to support more than 50,000 jobs by 2040, strengthening the region's economy and increasing median wages by around 25%.
Project Kings Road Humber will convert renewable e-methanol into sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF) for both supply into the UK's aviation fuel network and for export into international markets. The facility will benefit from direct access to the Humber's extensive fuel storage, pipeline and distribution infrastructure, providing efficient connections into the UK's aviation fuel supply network. Combined with Immingham's deep-water port facilities and established industrial ecosystem, this creates one of the most attractive locations in Europe for large-scale advanced fuels production.
Project Kings Road Humber combines two major competitive advantages: access to some of the world's lowest-cost renewable e-methanol from ETFuels' Texas production platform and the Humber's unrivalled industrial, logistics and fuel handling infrastructure. By combining globally competitive feedstocks with British engineering, manufacturing and logistics expertise, ETFuels believes the project can establish one of the world's most competitive advanced fuels production hubs.
This model allows Britain to capture the highest-value elements of the supply chain - advanced manufacturing, fuel upgrading, storage, logistics, operations and exports - while leveraging globally competitive feedstocks. The result is new industrial investment, skilled jobs and a stronger, more resilient fuel supply chain for the UK that helps reduce exposure to future fossil fuel price volatility.
Lara Naqushbandi, CEO of ETFuels, said:
"Project King's Road represents a major vote of confidence in the Humber and in Britain's industrial future. The Humber is already one of the UK's most important energy and logistics hubs. We believe it can also become the country's leading hub for next-generation fuels production.
“What attracted us to Immingham was the combination of outstanding infrastructure, a highly skilled industrial workforce and direct access to one of the largest fuel distribution networks in the country. Combined with access to some of the world's most competitive renewable fuel feedstocks from our Texas platform, it gives Britain a genuine opportunity to build an advanced fuels industry capable of competing with the best projects anywhere in the world.
“This is about much more than a single facility. It’s about creating a new advanced manufacturing capability for Britain, attracting investment into the Humber and establishing a strategic industry that can deliver jobs and growth for decades to come. We named this project after the road it sits on. That's deliberate — we're not building a facility that happens to be in Immingham; we're building something that belongs here."
Andrew Dawes, Regional Director of the Humber ports for Associated British Ports said:
“Immingham is already Britain’s largest port by tonnage, key to ABP’s twin missions of Keeping Britain Trading and Enabling the Energy Transition. Project King’s Road is exactly the kind of long‑term, high‑value industrial partnership that brings these priorities together – one that puts our world‑class port infrastructure, deep‑water berths and established fuel‑handling capabilities to work in safeguarding reliable, resilient energy supplies for the UK, while delivering substantial investment and high‑quality jobs. We look forward to working closely with ETFuels, Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority and the wider Humber industrial community to make this project a reality.”
Dame Andrea Jenkyns DBE, Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire said:
"Greater Lincolnshire has always been a region that makes things, moves things and powers the nation. Project King's Road represents exactly the kind of investment we want to attract innovative, industrial and ambitious. This project has the potential to create high-quality jobs, strengthen our energy sector and place the Humber at the forefront of a new global growth industry. A project named after its home in our community signals that ETFuels intends to be here for the long term. That matters to us. We look forward to working closely with ETFuels and partners to maximise the economic opportunities for our communities."
The project aligns closely with Greater Lincolnshire's ambitions to raise productivity, attract innovation and increase local wages through advanced industrial development.
As global demand for advanced fuels continues to grow, Project King's Road positions the Humber at the heart of one of the world's fastest-growing industrial sectors, bringing investment, jobs and long-term economic opportunity to the region while strengthening the UK's role in future fuel markets.
