Grangemouth docks' very own 'quay' workers are a vital part of economy

Since the lockdown began last month, the firm has kept all its ports – including Grangemouth – open and operational and their quay workers around the UK have been toiling away during these challenging times.

In March alone, Forth Ports, which operates eight ports across the UK has seen 74,000 of wheat pass through its hands – the equivalent of 148 million loaves of bread for our supermarkets.

It has helped provide 40,000 tonnes of food for supermarket shelves, including over 8500 tonnes of fruit and vegetables and the equivalent of 2.5 million packs of pasta, two million packs of rice, 4.75 million tins of food and enough fruit juice to fill 5.6 million cartons.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, with the ports being responsible for 2700 tonnes of medical supplies, 4.8 million nappies and 3.8 million bottles of soap getting into the UK along with 6200 tonnes of tissue and paper products to make toilet rolls, pharmaceutical packaging and food packaging, 27,000 tonnes of fertiliser to support the growth of key agricultural products and 10,000 tonnes of fishmeal which is crucial to the supply of Scotland's aquaculture industry and over 50,000 tonnes of animal feed in stock.

The port workers also handled plywood used to build the NHS Nightingale Hospitals in London and Birmingham and the NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow.

Forth Ports chief executive Charles Hammond, Chief Executive of Forth Ports said: “I am extremely proud and grateful to our hard-working teams across our ports. Our own ‘quay’ workers have adapted admirably to the necessary changes and restrictions in order for us ensure we work in a safe and protected environment.

“All of this enables us to handle the much-needed products for other front-line essential services, people and business across the UK. It is clear to see the key role our ports are playing in these very challenging times to keep the supermarket shelves full and the economy moving.”