AV Dawson - Experts & Thought Leaders

AV Dawson, owner and operator of Port of Middlesbrough, has signed a long-term partnership with Italian offshore cable manufacturer, Prysmian.  The Italian firm, which has been a tenant at Port of Middlesbrough for several years, has signed a 10-year agreement, cementing a long-term partnership, in preparation for its future growth. Part of the new partnership deal Prysmian, which is a world pioneer in the manufacture and installation of subsea and offshore wind cables, first started using the Port of Middlesbrough ten years ago. At that time, operations on site were little more than a container or two of equipment being held in storage. Operations on site were little more than a container or two of equipment being held in storage Over the years, as the offshore wind industry has exploded and Prysmian has secured more contracts, Port of Middlesbrough has become central to the company’s operations and now acts as its northern European marine base. With further growth anticipated, Prysmian has secured additional warehousing and office space at the port as part of the new partnership deal. This will support further expansion, accommodating new teams and new jobs in the region. Northeast England’s offshore wind sector Charlie Nettle, AV Dawson’s group managing director said: “We have great relationships with the Prysmian team and a real partnership approach between us – we are thrilled that Prysmian wants to continue to call Port of Middlesbrough its home. This new agreement is hugely positive news, not only for Teesside but for the whole of Northeast England’s offshore wind sector. It really puts Port of Middlesbrough and the wider region on the map." “The region has become a hot spot for offshore wind, and it will only get busier as businesses, and the world, continues on the journey to net-zero.” Prysmian’s growth ambitions Prysmian is also investing in new vessels to support this growth trajectory Prysmian is also investing in new vessels to support this growth trajectory. These vessels will be regular callers at Port of Middlesbrough, collecting offshore wind cable and equipment, to mobilise for offshore wind projects all over the world. To support Prysmian’s growth ambitions, AV Dawson has put significant investment into its port and quayside facilities so it can accommodate these new vessels. Net-zero ambitions Charlie continued: “We were really excited to prepare for the arrival of the Leonardo Da Vinci (LDV). She is the largest cable-laying vessel of her type, in the world, so we needed to ensure we had the capacity on our berths to accommodate her. This involved dredging wider berth pockets as the LDV is five metres wider than any of our other customers’ vessels. Thankfully, the Monna Lisa is the sister ship to the LDV, so the dimensions of the vessel are the same. However, Prysmian and some of our other customers are now enquiring about shore power to support their net-zero ambitions, so that is the next significant investment to plan for.” Charlie added: “Seeing these huge vessels coming into our port is also fantastic for our colleagues and the local community to witness. It suddenly makes the river and all the activity happening on it, much more visible for people. I feel this increases a sense of pride and progress among people and may also inspire some young people into a career in the shipping and logistics industry.” State-of-the-art facilities Peter Watson, responsible for the overall management of Prysmian’s marine base said: “Having a base in Northeast England is imperative to the success of the many projects we are delivering right now and the ones we can see coming down the pipeline." “Port of Middlesbrough is strategically positioned, has well-connected transport links and offers state-of-the-art facilities, making it an ideal place to expand our current operations. However, our decision to be here is as much about the working relationship we have. Everyone knows what we’re trying to achieve and just works brilliantly together to make it happen. This contract cements our commitment to the port and the town, as we look forward to the future and the exciting developments that are coming over the next few years.”

AV Dawson, owner, and operator of Port of Middlesbrough has welcomed over 1600 local primary school children through its doors, as part of an initiative led by the local education provider, SPARK Tees Valley, to educate children about the career opportunities and range of businesses based around the River Tees. Split over 30 sessions, the 12-week programme welcomed children between the ages of 9 and 11 from 39 primary schools across the Tees Valley, to participate in the educational workshop named ‘World of Work.’ Developing young people The interactive workshops include working with iPads, maps, and interactive robots, allowing the children to learn about future careers around the River Tees and wider Tees Valley. Other activities include ‘behind the scenes’ exercises, whereby the children understand more about a range of Teesside businesses, through a variety of different tasks and video interviews with real employees of the companies. The company has been using Port of Middlesbrough’s conferencing facilities within The Staiths Andrew Stogdale, founder of SPARK Tees Valley has been supporting schools for over 20 years – delivering engaging, real-world curriculum to inspire and develop young people in the region. The company has been using Port of Middlesbrough’s conferencing facilities within The Staiths – its new state-of-the-art head office building to support the children’s learning by allowing them to witness firsthand the port operations in action. Highly scalable project Mr Stogdale said: “Our programmes are built on years of experience and research to widen children’s skills to help them understanding of what future opportunities lie ahead of them and how they can make the most of them. This programme at AV Dawson, which was funded by Tees Valley Combined Authority, has been a great example of that.” “It is a high-impact, highly scalable project but what made it extra special was the opportunity to run it right in the heart of Port of Middlesbrough. We built additional activity around the fact that the building is in such an inspirational location with views across so many of the businesses that we featured in the activities. Other maritime companies Allowing the children to witness firsthand the type of day-to-day activities that go on along the river" “The team at AV Dawson has been brilliant in working with us to enable us to deliver this worthwhile programme. The facilities at Port of Middlesbrough are also exceptional – from the high-quality Wi-Fi and space available to having an events team on hand to make every visitor feel really welcome. When we get the opportunity, we will definitely be looking to deliver this programme here with AV Dawson again because the impact on nearly 2000 local children this year has been immense.” The port is perfectly placed on the River Tees along with neighbours, Wilton Engineering, PD Ports and a host of many other maritime companies, allowing the children to witness firsthand the type of day-to-day activities that go on along the river. Bankfields Primary School located in Middlesbrough, were one of many schools taking part in the programme at Port of Middlesbrough. Many amazing opportunities We were delighted to support SPARK Tees Valley with this exciting project" Megan Kelly, STEM, careers and enterprise lead at Bankfields Primary School said: “The children had a fantastic day and many of them said it was the best trip they have ever been on. The children were able to explore a range of skills across a range of curriculum lessons. They explored the importance of the Tees Valley area and discovered the many amazing opportunities that are available to them in their local area.” “It is vital for children to have career driven days because it is important to raise the aspirations of children and give them the opportunity to see what they can do in the future and not limit their expectations and potential.” Anthony Suddes, AV Dawson’s Group Marketing Manager said: “We were delighted to support SPARK Tees Valley with this exciting project and to welcome all these young people to Port of Middlesbrough. It’s vitally important to showcase to the next generation the opportunities we have in our area and for the children to actually see these opportunities for themselves, is fantastic.”

AV Dawson, Owner, and Operator of Port of Middlesbrough has acquired the dry bulk business, Cobra Middlesbrough, as part of its strategic investment and expansion plans. The acquisition will see Port of Middlesbrough’s footprint grow by eight acres, unlocking further opportunities on what was previously a 100-acre site. Cobra, based on North Road in Middlesbrough, operates a dry bulk handling terminal with processing and packing facilities. The company’s main area of focus and expertise is in the salt market, handling and distributing thousands of tonnes of salt every year.   Additional rail capacity Much of the salt stored at the facility has been mined locally. Some of the salt is used in animal feeds, but the majority is distributed to councils across the country for gritting roads during the winter. Cobra also provides a range of services for the farming industry. Some of the salt is used in animal feeds, but the majority is distributed to councils across the country The business receives, screens, and bags polyhalite – which, like salt, is mined. This is then used as a fertilizer in the agriculture sector in the UK and overseas. The Cobra site, which is directly adjacent to Port of Middlesbrough, boasts extensive rail infrastructure and has direct access to the East Coast Mainline – this provides additional rail capacity for the port to support existing and new customers. Delivering greater efficiencies “We’re excited to acquire Cobra Middlesbrough. We have worked closely with the business for many years, handling the import and export of salt through our port facility and supporting their rail logistics. Bringing both ours and their operations together, within one business, enables us to provide job security to existing staff while delivering greater efficiencies for our customers," said Gary Dawson, Managing Director of AV Dawson. Mr. Dawson continued: “We recognise that the site requires some significant investment, but this actually fits perfectly with our strengths and our strategy to invest, develop and expand our site.”   Making strategic investment This acquisition is not the first time AV Dawson has made a strategic investment “This acquisition is also strategically important for our wider business because of its excellent rail connectivity. We are working with more and more of our customers to help them identify opportunities to transition from road to rail, so we need to ensure we have the capacity to accommodate their requirements." "This is particularly important as we look to put our net zero strategy into action with the ultimate aim to become carbon neutral – we see rail as a big opportunity to help us and our customers to achieve this.” This acquisition is not the first time AV Dawson has made a strategic investment to improve its rail infrastructure. In 2015, the business struck a deal with Network Rail to take full control of the seven-acre neighbouring Middlesbrough Goods Yard.