LOGISTICS
A NEW ERA ON THE RIVER TEES
Valuable – PD Ports manages 12 miles of the River Tees and three miles of channel to the North Sea, an artery of trade worth £ 1.4bn a year to the UK economy.
How marine director Chris keeps the valuable cargo flowing
On the North-East coast, where the River Tees meets the North Sea, ships slip quietly between the breakwaters – container giants, bulk carriers and chemical vessels – each a small chapter in the region’ s economic story.
Few outside the maritime sector realise that every one of those passages is made possible by an intricate, 24 / 7 operation managed by PD Ports.
PD Ports is one of the UK’ s largest port operators, but what many don’ t realise is that it also carries the legal responsibility of Statutory Harbour Authority for the Ports of Tees and Hartlepool.
Granted by an Act of Parliament in 1966, this role makes PD Ports the guardian of the river, ensuring it remains open for trade while meeting the highest standards of safety, regulation and service.
As Statutory Harbour Authority, PD Ports manages 12 miles of the River Tees and three miles of channel to the North Sea – an artery of trade worth £ 1.4bn a year to the UK economy.
Around 4,500 vessels trade at the various port facilities annually, handling 24m tonnes of cargo across sectors from energy and petrochemicals to agriculture and construction, and many more in between.
Two specialist teams keep that system moving: the Harbour Office and what was historically known as Conservancy – a function with more than 200 years of heritage.
This summer, Conservancy was relaunched as a dedicated Marine Business Unit, with Teesside-born Chris Stocks appointed marine director.
Chris’ s own journey began far from the Tees, navigating merchant vessels around the world.
“ I came ashore looking for a career and found it right back where I came from,” he recalls.
After joining PD Ports, he spent nearly a decade as deputy harbour master before stepping into the marine director role.
Along the way, Chris built a reputation for operational know-how and calmness under pressure, leading marine incident responses, planning complex project cargoes and coordinating large-scale events such as the Hartlepool Tall Ships.
He has also helped shape national policy as a member of the UK Harbour Masters’ Association and serves at Trinity House, the 500-year-old maritime charity and lighthouse authority.
Now, he leads the Marine Business Unit which, alongside a team of specialist marine engineers, is the custodian of the river, safeguarding the working ports of Tees and Hartlepool and more than 80 berths of all depths and sizes. Much of their work is unseen.“ If the channel isn’ t deep enough, the ships don’ t come in,” Chris explains.
Hydrographic surveyors map every contour of the riverbed while dredgers – including PD Ports’ £ 24m Emerald Duchess, powered by green fuel – keep silt at bay.
The team also provides vessels and crews to transport Tees pilots safely to and from ships, helping ships’ captains guide vessels safely in and out of port.
The Marine Unit also maintains an oil pollution response service, with craft,
44 | Tees Business