Cefetra Opens £21m Bulk Agri-Hub at Port of Tilbury's Berth 43

Grain and animal feed raw materials trader Cefetra has opened a new bulk storage and handling facility at Berth 43 at the Port of Tilbury, with the first delivery already received on site, according to port industry publication Port Strategy.

The facility covers approximately 14,000 square metres and has a storage capacity of up to 65,000 tonnes of imported animal feed products, including soyabean meal. It has been designed around direct vessel discharge operations, enabling efficient unloading of bulk cargoes directly from ship to store.

The development represents a £21 million investment in infrastructure at Tilbury and is operated by Cefetra, described by Port Strategy as one of the UK and Ireland's major traders of grains and animal feed raw materials. The port is owned and managed by Forth Ports.

Andrew Mackay, Chief Executive at Cefetra, said the investment strengthens the company's UK import capabilities. "This new facility at Berth 43 is a significant step forward for our operations in the UK, giving us modern, purpose-built infrastructure to handle animal feed imports more efficiently and reliably for our customers," Mackay said.

Stuart Wallace, Chief Executive at Forth Ports, said the project reflected an ongoing commitment to port infrastructure investment. "This new bulk storage and handling facility in Tilbury demonstrates our commitment to further investment across our port infrastructure across the UK and confirms the strong, long-lasting relationship we have with Cefetra," Wallace said.

The opening builds on more than a decade of collaboration between the two companies at Tilbury, during which Cefetra has moved more than two million tonnes of product through the port, according to Port Strategy. The new facility also follows the recent development of a Cefetra agri-hub at the Port of Rosyth, another Forth Ports facility.

Port Strategy noted that the Port of Tilbury's location on the River Thames gives Cefetra access to customers across the South and East of England, supported by the port's cargo-handling and logistics infrastructure.

The first delivery received at the new facility carries a sustainability dimension, with the product described as having a lower carbon footprint. Port Strategy reported this as part of efforts to support customers in the food industry in reducing emissions and progressing towards their sustainability targets, though no further details of the product or its provenance were provided in the source.