Trio of vessels tip Ward over the £7million export target ahead of schedule

Derbyshire-based metal and waste management specialist, Ward, has exceeded its forecasted annual export target from its dedicated deep sea dock at Immingham in just seven months. The specialist metal recycler has exported over 50,000 tonnes of ferrous and no-ferrous metal since it opened the facility in April this year, at an estimated value of £7.6million.

Three ships left the dock in last month destined for Bilbao and Sestao Port in Spain and Iskenderun in Turkey, carrying a combined load of over 31,000 tonnes including plate iron and HMS 1 and 2 grade. The Ward team has been grading and processing the material whilst stock has been building at the site.

The largest of the three vessels, the Pochard S, measured 198 metres long 23.7m metres wide with six holds and six hatches. It sailed from Immingham and took 11 days to arrive at its destination, after loading 23,881 tonnes over six days loading 24 hours, a day through two shifts.

Thomas Ward, Commercial Manager at Ward, said: “This is a hugely significant milestone for us as we continue to utilise the port further. Results achieved so far have exceeded our initial estimates and we are continually improving tonnages of metals for export and import. The team is working incredibly hard with existing customers as well as exporting to new customers in destinations all over the world. In the next couple of months we’ve already got orders to export a further 20,000 tonnes in steel skulls, plate iron and obsolete steel scrap.”

Ward is a fourth-generation family business and has quadrupled its turnover in the last 10 years, through continuous investment and innovation in metal processing and recycling. It now recycles over half a million tonnes of ferrous and non-ferrous metals per year.

For more information on Ward and its metal buying, selling and export services, visit www.ward.com