Northern UK Ports Being Targeted for Far East Shipments

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Northern UK Ports Being Targeted for Far East Shipments

[Image Line Communications Ltd]

London, UK, United Kingdom (PressExposure) June 24, 2008 -- PD Ports has been raising its profile in the Far East as part of an awareness campaign to attract deep sea vessels to call direct to Teesport on the North East coast of England. This follows the recent UK Government approval for PD Ports to build a deep sea container terminal known as the Northern Gateway Container Terminal (NGCT) at Teesport, which will create over 5,500 new jobs and a terminal capable of handling 1.5m teu (twenty foot equivalent units) of containers per annum when fully built.

In June PD Ports hosted a launch party at the British Embassy in Bangkok. The purpose of the event, which was organised by PD Ports’ Far East representatives, Infinity Logistics, was to further develop the awareness of Teesport and the potential benefits of NGCT for UK imports, amongst the important South East Asia market.

The ceremony, which consisted of over 200 major players from Far East shipping lines, shippers and freight forwarders was opened by the British Ambassador, Quinton Quayle and Minister of Commerce for Thailand, Viroon Tejapaibul.

This important Far East visit continued on to Vietnam where PD Ports representatives exhibited at the 6th Asean Ports & Shipping conference before returning to the UK. PD Ports’ profile raising campaign began in Asia in late December when PD Ports’ senior managers visited Singapore and Malaysia in order to complete the signing of Infinity as the ports' representative in the South East Asia market.

Martyn Pellew, group development director of PD Ports, said: “There's no point in us building a £300million container port on Teesside to be known as the Northern Gateway Container Terminal (NGCT) if no one knows about it. Today, overseas based manufacturers such as those in Thailand can only use Teesport for container freight traffic coming into Britain on smaller feeder ships through continental ports such as Rotterdam or Zebrugge but in three years time after our build programme, they can come direct.”

PD Ports will continue its overseas marketing visits to promote Teesport in the Far East toward the end of 2008, with trips planned to Mumbai in India and Dubai.

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Notes to Editors: June 2008

• PD Ports Limited was formed following the successful takeover of PD Ports plc by Babcock and Brown Infrastructure (ASX: BBI) in February 2006.
• PD Ports is a high performing specialist ports business offering a wide variety of supply chain services to improve customers’ international product and material movements into and out of – as well as within – the UK.

• PD Ports employs over 1350 members of staff, and generates an annual turnover of over £130 million from 30 UK locations.

• PD Ports operates throughout the UK from bases at many key ports and logistics centres. The 3 business interests of PD Ports are:
o Port Operations– this includes:
 Teesport: one of the top 3 UK ports, with flows of containers, bulk traffics and finished cars, handling 50 million tonnes of throughput per annum.
 The Northern Gateway Container Terminal: a major new deep sea container terminal planned at Teesport on the South side of the River Tees. The £300 million development will have a capacity of 1.5 million TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) and is anticipated to deliver over 5,500 jobs to the Tees Valley.

Please visit www.thenortherngateway.co.uk
 Portcentric Logistics: a new concept promoted by PD Ports for locating the storage and distribution of imported goods close to the point of arrival at a UK port. This concept avoids the slow handling and return of empty containers as well as eradicating unnecessary UK road mileage, which occurs when delivering to a traditional inland import centre, such as in the Midlands. In 2006 ASDA Wal*Mart opened a 350,000 sq ft import centre at Teesport and has saved more than 2 million road miles by adopting the portcentric concept. Tesco is also building a 1.2 sq ft import centre at Teesport to open in 2009.
 Humber & Small Ports: owners and/or operators of ports on the Humber estuary, Rivers Trent and Ouse, and at Medina Wharf, Isle of Wight. Service offerings include ship’s agency, chartering and stevedoring services.
 Logistics: PD Logistics offers warehousing and distribution services at 15 UK locations throughout the North East, Humberside & East Anglia, including at Felixstowe. Please visit www.pdlogistics.com
o Conservancy – this includes:
 Management of river traffic for the ports of Tees and Hartlepool, ensuring safe navigation and maintaining the required channel depth.
o Property– this includes:
 Revenue and income from property and facilities owned by PD Ports and used by third party clients on long term leases.
 Land that is not utilised for operational purposes and forms part of the potential for development.
 The redevelopment of part (133 hectares) of Hartlepool docks known as Victoria Harbour.