Overview
Calling for immediate expressions of interest in establishing a commercial port operator at the Port of Ramsgate!

The Port of Ramsgate, at 34 acres, is a sizeable asset, operated by the local authority – Thanet District Council. One of 23 municipal ports in England and Wales, it is currently used by a variety of maritime businesses including an aggregate facility and two offshore wind farm operators.

Operating model
The proposed model brings in an operator to manage the Roll on Roll off (ro-ro) activities at the port, with the local authority retaining the management of part of the Port, and splitting the commercial activity by the type of operation.

The local authority would retain control of non ro-ro traffic including aggregates, with ro-ro cargo and traffic managed by a third party. Agreements with existing tenants from the aggregates and wind farm sectors would remain in place, with the council.

ESG credentials
In 2021, Thanet District Council secured £19.8m from the UK Government for the coastal town of Ramsgate, and approximately £9.62m of this is set aside to improve the port. The ambition is to bring more jobs, create more opportunities for training and skills, and to establish it as the ideal base for supporting green industry.

Background to the project
Since 1998, the local authority has operated the Port of Ramsgate, which once hosted a daily scheduled cross channel service, with no commercial ferry operations since 2013 however, which has contributed to a financial deficit for the port.

The decision to go out to procurement is informed by a specialist external consultancy team and port specific legal advice.