- The National Wealth Fund is investing £200m in Associated British Ports as part of a £300m funding package.
- The programme will upgrade key UK ports to support clean energy, trade, and logistics.
- Around 700 jobs are expected to be created or supported.
The UK’s public finance institution National Wealth Fund is committing £200 million to support the country’s largest port operator Associated British Ports (ABP) in a major port infrastructure programme, the Fund announced today, 3 June.
The Fund’s commitment comes alongside support from banks, led by Bank of America and including NatWest and Lloyds, forming a £300 million financing package altogether. The programme seeks to boost trade and local supply chains, while creating new jobs and investment opportunities.
Potential projects include improving the Port of Lowestoft to enable more offshore wind operations that maximise energy yields and financial returns, enhance infrastructure at the Port of Ipswich to advance the domestic clean energy supply chain Sizewell C, and develop the Solent Gateway – a logistics hub on Southampton Water that serves as a strategic military port.
The Fund’s financing provides a long tenor facility, which offers extended duration before the balance is due. This allows ABP to align the debt profiles and lifecycles of its projects with the financing. The initiative is projected to create and support 700 jobs.
“Supporting Associated British Ports through this financing programme demonstrates the role of strategic financing in port infrastructure modernisation, while strengthening regional supply chains and accelerating the transition to a more sustainable industrial base,” said Karen Fang, Global Head of Infrastructure and Sustainable Finance and Co-Head of Global Capital Solutions at Bank of America.
Between 2020 and 2025, UK ports invested £4.5 billion in new infrastructure, targeted at extending capacity, deepening trade channels, improving logistics equipment, and driving the switch to cleaner energy.
Over 80% of global trade relies on maritime routes and thereby ports. According to the World Bank Group and S&P Global’s 2023 Container Port Performance Index, container ports are crucial to global supply chains and developing high-quality container ports is a prerequisite for export growth. Low-quality ports can result in shipment delays and decrease competitiveness.
“Ports are the lifeblood of our economy – they keep us connected, keep us trading, and keep Britain moving,” noted Keir Mather, UK Minister for Aviation, Maritime, and Decarbonisation.
