London Thamesport has signed an agreement with UK shipping agent and logistics company The Armitt Group for a purpose-built, 120,000 square feet specialist steel handling facility at the Kent port.

Construction of the first phase of 60,000 square feet is well underway.  Once completed, the specialist facility will offer unparalleled multimodal connections for breakbulk cargo handled in the South East of England.

The facility will allow the Armitt Group and its customers to take advantage of London Thamesport's deep-water berths and excellent rail and road links to London, the South East and beyond to the Midlands and North West.

Commenting on the agreement, Clemence Cheng, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports Europe, owners and operators of London Thamesport, said: "We welcome this partnership with The Armitt Group at our London Thamesport facility. The investment demonstrates the port’s advantages for multi-purpose, as well as containerised, cargoes. As well as a renowned ship’s agency, the Armitt Group is one of the UK’s leading specialists in the handling of steel products and the excellent combination of deep-water and multimodal rail and road connections at London Thameport will provide it with a platform from which to develop its business."

Charles Gray, Managing Director of Armitt, added: "We see this new relationship with London Thamesport as a great opportunity to open up a new supply chain corridor for The Armitt Group to service European and Far Eastern markets and is a critical link in our plans to develop a fully integrated supply chain across the UK."

The new facility will be operated by the Armitt Group and has been designed specifically for the handling of high quality steel products. The investment is the first in a three stage plan by the Armitt Group to develop similar multimodal facilities in the Midlands and North of the UK within the next three years.