Massive ship – big enough to carry the Titanic in its hold – drops anchor at Port of Sunderland, helping to address problems caused by Russian invasion of Ukraine

The TORM AUSTRALIA has brought much-needed nitrogen fertiliser from the Americas, in a boost to farmers who have been struggling due to short supply in the UK and Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The fertilisers will be stored at Brineflow’s new purpose-built, deep-water fertiliser terminal before being processed and delivered to directly to farms around the country.

Brineflow says importing fertilisers from some of the world’s lowest-cost producers will help the cost of living crisis, while the new terminal is engineered to reduce fertilisers’ total carbon and nitrous emissions.

The first of many

Brineflow chairman John Fuller OBE said: “This is the first vessel to open up new global fertiliser markets for the UK and will place Sunderland at the heart of UK agricultural supply industry with the lowest environmental impact.

“We are already planning subsequent voyages and exploring the onward shipping of this imported product to other destinations in the UK, including our sister facility in Great Yarmouth and even exporting to Europe by smaller ship tankers.”

The TORM AUSTRALIA will be the first of many giant tankers to dock at the port following the signing of a strategic joint venture between Brineflow and German agricultural giant HELM AG in November.

‘We are thrilled that they are continuing to invest in the city’

Headquartered in Hamburg, HELM AG is a producer of fertiliser with extensive liquid nitrogen manufacturing capabilities in Trinidad, meaning it can ship large vessels to the British market from an area unconstrained by European gas shortages.

“The UK’s reliance on European fertilisers produced with Russian gas has caused severe damage to our food supply and the economy in recent years," said John.

“The joint venture with HELM AG will help secure our food supply for years to come.”

Port director Matthew Hunt said: “We have worked closely with Brineflow since they opened their first terminal at the port in 2021 and we are thrilled that they are continuing to invest in the city.

“As well as creating jobs at the terminal, they have also supported jobs throughout the supply chain and at the port and the new terminal coming into operation will only see the company continue to build on its success."