Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s largest port operator, has acquired Global Shipping Services Ltd, a Humber stevedoring, warehousing, storage and port agency business, for an undisclosed sum. The deal adds a service provider handling more than 1.5 million tonnes of cargo a year across the Ports of Hull, Goole and Immingham to ABP’s network.

ABP reported revenue of £819.8 million and consolidated EBITDA of £473.7 million for 2025. Global Shipping Services is a privately owned UK company with its registered office in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire.

Global was founded in 1989 after the consolidation of several port service companies operating across Humberside, and has become the region’s foremost independent port services provider. Its expertise spans forest products, steel, bulk and breakbulk, heavy lift handling and specialist project cargo.

The structural driver is ABP’s push to grow its service offering alongside its infrastructure investment. Andrew Dawes, regional director for the Humber at ABP, said, “Growing our services offering is an important complement to our major investments in infrastructure like the new £200m-plus Immingham Eastern RoRo Terminal.”

Henrik L. Pedersen, CEO of ABP, said, “The acquisition of Global Shipping Services is another important step forward for ABP as we pursue our mission of Keeping Britain Trading by continually upgrading our service offerings underpinning our customers’ growth ambitions.”

Dawes added, “Having the scale and ambition to deliver both is key to ensuring that the Humber is the port of choice for customers and we’ll keep looking for growth opportunities.”

Peter Waud, managing director of Global Shipping Services, will remain in his role, and customers are advised to keep engaging on a business as usual basis with their regular contacts at Global and ABP.

The backing and resources of ABP will give Global a platform to expand and innovate across the Humber and ABP’s wider port network.

For the sector, the acquisition shows a major port operator bringing independent stevedoring and warehousing capability in-house to strengthen its offer at the Humber ports.

Source: Business Live / ABP / Endole / Yorkshire Post