British Ports Association elects Alec Don as new Chairman

The British Ports Association has elected Alec Don, Chief Executive of Milford Haven Port Authority, as Chairman for a two year term, at its Annual General Meeting in London.
Addressing the BPA’s wide range industry and Government guests at the Annual Lunch in London, Mr Don outlined his vision of a thriving UK ports industry:
“My vision, on behalf of the BPA members, and indeed all ports, is that we have an economy where investment is not something that happens by permission. That within clearly identified port zones and sites linked to and trading through port zones, entrepreneurial investment and job creation occurs at the pace that suits the market and genuinely facilitates trade. That ports and their associated cities are freed up to work with a common purpose.”
Highlighting the independence and commercial nature of the UK’s port sector, Mr Don said:
“All of the UK ports are entrepreneurially led investing businesses and ports of all size and type are vital to their local economies. Between them ports have over £1.7bn of immediate investment plans. These investments are not just about the port infrastructure itself but about reinforcing and growing the economic clusters that use those ports.”
Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani MP attended the lunch as part of the Government’s launch of the Port Connectivity Study. The BPA has welcomed the study and called for it to form part of a wider freight strategy linked to strategic long-term funding. On the launch of the study, the Minister said:
“I am really pleased to be able to have the opportunity to address a key part of the sector at the BPA lunch and launch the findings of the Port Connectivity Study. BPA members large and small are vital parts of the economy and this report highlights how their activity, combined with ongoing government investment in transport to improve connectivity, can have positive wider economic benefits. There are further challenges to raising the profile of the ports sector and improving how we share information, and I look forward to the Department working with the BPA to do so”.
Mr Don takes over from Rodney Lunn, Chief Executive at the Port of Shoreham.