Liverpool-based Peel Ports Group announced it will invest £100 million into the steels and metals sector in a move to grow its capacity and boost the efficiency of logistics.

The UK’s second largest port operator said it is “progressing with £32m to add a further 140,000 sq ft of storage at its Port of Liverpool steel and metals terminals.”

The group said that overall, across the Ports of Liverpool and London Medway, its warehousing will be increased by 50% from the current 1 million sq ft to create an additional 500,000 sq ft of capacity.

Further plans include creating a second automated terminal in Liverpool dedicated to steel coils, as well as a new automated terminal for the Port of London Medway in Sheerness.

These will be developed to include rail connectivity by a new inland rail terminal in the Midlands.

This fresh investment by the port group follows a record year for steel imports at the Liverpool facility and will help further grow the volumes of steel it transports across the UK.

Peel Ports Group owns and operates six of the UK’s most important ports — Liverpool, Heysham, Manchester Ship Canal, Medway (Sheerness / Chatham), Clydeport and Great Yarmouth.

It also operates a container terminal in Dublin and owns BG Freight Line, which provides short sea container services between the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe and Peel Ports Logistics, one of the UK’s leading shipping and freight forwarders.

Peel Ports handles approximately 70 million tonnes of cargo every year. About 14% of the total UK major ports traffic flows through ports operated by Peel, which employs around 2,000 staff.

David Huck, Chief Operating Officer at Peel Ports Group, said: “This is a game-changing investment for us.

“Demand for steel and metals handling across our port group, and the UK in general, has risen sharply over the past five years and this will allow us to expand our support to the construction and manufacturing supply chain right across the country.

“This investment ensures we have the scale, speed, and specialist expertise to support our customers today and long into the future, helping to also address some of the storage and transportation issues the steel sector currently faces.

“With expanded capacity and a growing, dedicated steel handling team, we can now move more product, more efficiently than ever before. Our location in Liverpool is in the heart of Britain and gives us a clear advantage – perfectly placed to serve stockholders and fabricators nationwide, supported by excellent road and rail links.

“Warehousing will remain a key focus for the business, with further expansion already in the pipeline as we continue to futureproof our service for the UK’s critical industries.

“The addition of a new rail terminal in the Midlands will allows us to efficiently connect the two strategically located deep-water ports of Liverpool and London Medway, boosting the efficiency of logistics for our customers and partners.”

In April, the company reported a record-breaking year for steel imports at the Port of Liverpool, with volumes increasing by more than 35% year-on-year. About 702,000 tonnes of bulk steel were processed at the port in 2024, coming from locations across the world includin South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Turkey, and Europe.