Top fact – did you know that Plymouth employs more people in the marine sector than any other local authority area in the country?
The city’s marine and defence sector employs 20,110 people – that’s 18 per cent of the city’s work force, more than Southampton and Barrow in Furness, for instance.
The importance of the ports to the city’s economic livelihood has been brought into focus by a recently completed Plymouth Port Strategy – which has been created to get a clear picture of the current status of Plymouth’s ports as well as chart their future direction.
The city’s ports are Devonport, Cattewater, Millbay and Sutton Harbour, each have very distinct roles and the strategy gives a fascinating insight into the sheer scale and variety of jobs and opportunities that exist in and around the Sound.
Devonport Dockyard is the largest naval base in western Europe and is the largest land user in the city – covering 650 hectares, with 14 dry docks, 25 tidal berths and four miles of docks.
On the east side of the Sound, Cattewater is home to several commercial wharves handling nearly 2m tonnes of cargo every year, including fuel, feed, cement and clay.
In the middle is Millbay with Brittany Ferries operating passenger and cargo routes to Europe while Sutton Harbour is the base for Plymouth’s fishing fleet.
Other facts include:
- There are 16 leisure and boatyards around the Sound including 1,400 gold anchor berths
- Currently, 12 cruise ship visit Plymouth every year with plans to more than double this number in the coming years
- Plymouth is at the forefront of marine technology and innovation, including research organisation and companies at the cutting edge of work to develop autonomous vessels.
The importance of the Sound’s environment, which is part of the National Marine Park is also highlighted. It is home to over 1,000 species and 6,402 hectares are in an area of special scientific interest.
The Council secured funding from the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund for the study to understand the ports’ economic contribution and to develop a strategy to support the future development including the transition to net zero and the creation of green jobs.
Council leader Tudor Evans said:
“We talk about the ports’ importance to Plymouth but this strategy is a great reminder of the sheer scale and variety of opportunities in our ports. The National Marine Park sets out our intention to look more to the sea and the Sound as a city and this strategy will help to us develop the ports’ role economically.
“This is a starting point, a clear recognition of the role of the ports and a call for co-ordinated action to ensure they continue to thrive for the benefit of Plymouth and the wider regional and national economy.”
The report highlights that supporting future growth in Plymouth’s ports underpins growth in the wider marine sector and has the potential to create an additional 2,600 graduate level jobs in the local economy by 2030.
The report and its key findings are going to be discussed at the Council’s Natural Infrastructure and Growth Scrutiny panel which meets on 29 October.
The key findings are:
- The strength of Plymouth’s ports lies in its diversity. While Devonport underpins the economic contribution of the ports and the marine sector there is a significant and diverse leisure sector, vessel manufacturing and servicing and freight operations.
- Plymouth is a leading light on marine technology and manufacturing and engineering which greatly enhance the city’s competitive edge in sectors with high growth potential such as autonomous vessels, Floating Offshore Wind and alternative fuels.
The strategy highlights that the nature of ports is changing worldwide, and investment will be required to ensure that Plymouth maintains its current market presence and capabilities.
While the Council does not play a direct role in port operations, it can and should play a significant role in supporting the future development and growth of the ports through advocacy, leadership, co-ordination and the creation of a supportive policy environment.