EMR prepares port location in Scotland

United Kingdom-based EMR Ltd. says it is “transforming its operations” in Scotland with a multimillion-dollar investment in the development of an 11.5-acre waterfront site in Glasgow.

The King George V West Quay (Berth 10) in Glasgow “will be EMR’s most innovative deep-sea dock in the U.K., allowing the company to transfer material in the most competitive and low-carbon way possible,” the metals recycling firm says.

The new deep-sea dock will be able to accept bulk carriers of up to 65,000 metric tons deadweight, which produce one-fifth of the carbon emissions, per metric ton of scrap carried, compared with smaller (3,000-metric-ton) vessels, says EMR. The company’s existing operations in Scotland restrict it to using smaller ships.

“While EMR will continue to invest in our nearby South Street and Bellshill sites, the King George V development represents the beginning of an exciting new era for Glasgow’s docks,” says EMR’s area general manager Gary Barrett. “Not only will our customers benefit, but we will be delivering new, high-quality jobs to the area in a sustainable and innovative industry.”

Barrett credits the Peel Ports agency and civil engineering firm McLaughlin & Harvey for helping it make “a huge investment in the future of Glasgow’s economy and the U.K.’s recycling industry in general,” he comments. “From December, the city will once again see some of the world’s biggest bulk cargo ships arriving on the Clyde [River] and taking scrap metal to play its vital role in the global, circular economy.”

Comments Paul Bodkin, commercial general manager for EMR, “This new site will be a game-changer for our customers across Scotland. At King George V we will have the ability to accept all grades of nonferrous and ferrous metal and. thanks to the efficiencies this new site will provide, EMR will be able to offer better prices and service than ever.”

The location will receive what EMR calls “100 percent renewable electricity” from utility Scottish Power and will have “enhanced electrical connections to allow equipment used on the site in future to be fully electrified,” states the firm.

Longer term, there is space on the site for a second phase of expansion in the next few years, which may include developments in electric vehicle (EV) recycling and large-scale metal processing, says EMR.