AV Dawson has named its new port facility ‘Port of Middlesbrough’ in honour of a port on the same dock over 100 years ago prior to the construction of Middlesbrough Dock.
AV Dawson has combined several parts of its Middlesbrough-based port and logistics operations to form one port facility in a bid to further expand the site.
Gary Dawson, Managing Director at AV Dawson said: “Over the years, we’ve acquired various sites as we’ve expanded our operations and its become a challenge to describe succinctly what AV Dawson Ltd is."
He continues:“We have thought long and hard about what drives the business forward and what defines us - we’ve concluded that our location and the River Tees are key to this, neither of which feature in the company name. So given the nature of all of the multimodal assets and activities that we own and operate, we are best positioned from a marketing perspective describing ourselves as a port."
“We wanted to consolidate under one new encompassing brand and image, but with a continuation of the AV Dawson name and legacy. ‘Port of Middlesbrough – an AV Dawson facility’ fits with our history and reflects the growth of our business and the town."
“Being a Teesside family business, founded over 80 years ago, the history of the area is really important to us so it seemed logical to reignite the Port of Middlesbrough name," said Dawson.
The new port marks the start of a three-year plan to further develop the site, which includes creating more jobs and investing in the local area. An investment of over £10 million to the plan includes the construction of a plastic waste recycling plant, a new head office and the enhancement of AV Dawson’s existing quayside to accommodate larger vessels.
Andy Preston, Mayor of Middlesbrough said: “This development is a perfect fit for my wider ambitions for Middlesbrough, focusing on attracting new investment and jobs to boost the town’s economy."
Preston added: “As an iconic local firm, AV Dawson is a great asset to our town – it is fantastic that it has brought back the Port of Middlesbrough and continues to invest for the future. This is hugely positive news for Middlesbrough.”
Mr Dawson concluded: “The launch of Port of Middlesbrough adds further strength to the River Tees and its offer to importing and exporting businesses. We plan to work closely with the statutory harbour authority, PD Ports, to ensure the Tees attracts more ships, as ultimately this will help drive jobs and the local economy.”
