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Ideally positioned on the River Tees in the North East of England, Port of Middlesbrough provides full freight logistics across a number of sectors. The 40 hectare site boasts deep-water berths, four market specific rail terminals including a container terminal and climate-controlled metals hub, all supported by its road transport fleet. Whether you’re looking for import, export, local hub distribution or on-port accommodation, The Port of Middlesbrough can provide the connectivity and added efficiencies you’re after in your logistics operations.
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Port of Middlesbrough provides specialist freight logistics across a number of sectors including, energy and renewables, construction, agriculture, automotive and waste. As the only port in the region with high and heavy lift access, the 40 Hectare facility also boasts deep-water berths, four market specific rail terminals, all supported by its road transport fleet. The Port of Middlesbrough is your ideal partner for the long term.
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We seek to form positive relationships which are committed to securing the future prosperity of the business and improving the working life for employees.
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History
Port of Middlesbrough’s quayside can be traced right back to 1830, an extension of the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened to deliver coal from the Durham coalfields to the new coal export staithes in Middlesbrough. The first coal was exported from the new port in January 1831. It was so successful and overwhelmed with shipping that work began on a new facility in 1839 and this was Middlesbrough Dock which opened in 1842 and by the 1890s the area of the river became known as Port of Middlesbrough.
The original quayside continued trading and throughout the first half of the 20th century was operated by T Roddam Dent and Sons and was known as Dents Wharf, the adjacent picture being from 1950.
It wasn’t till 1970 that Arthur Vernon Dawson, the grandfather of current managing director Gary Dawson bought the land from the Dent family, to build a new yard from which to operate an expanding haulage business and to develop the first multi-user industrial estate in Middlesbrough.
The smaller quay that is owned, closest to the Transporter bridge was known as Tyne Tees Wharf and was once operated by the Tyne Tees Steam Shipping Company until the 1940’s- it had the only Bonded Warehouse on the Tees at the time, the remnants of which we demolished in the 1980s.
Moving into the late 1980s when the National Dock Labour Scheme was abolished by Margaret Thatcher, AV Dawson gained a license to operate its first quay. This is when the quayside changed from being called Middlesbrough Wharf and became known as Dawson’s Wharf.
The company then purchased the Ayrton Rolling Mill from British Steel in 1985 and renamed it as the Ayrton Railhead and Store. Further land acquisitions included the Linthorpe Dinsdale Yard in 1998 (the quay being known as Lin-Din, which was then re-branded North Sea Supply Base).
This was followed by additional purchases of several plots of land to the south of Forty Foot Road, alongside the Middlesbrough Goods Rail Yard. These sites once developed became collectively known as the Tees Riverside Intermodal Park (TRIP Terminal). Latterly a 99-year lease of Middlesbrough Goods Yard was taken from Network Rail.
On 17 September 2020 AV Dawson returned to its roots by renaming its site Port of Middlesbrough – An AV Dawson Facility.