One of the UK’s most high-profile farming Youtubers has praised Port of Sunderland for the pivotal role it plays in supporting British farmers
Michael Dungworth, part of the top-rated PXFarms Youtube channel went behind the scenes of Britain’s fertiliser supply chain during a visit to Brineflow’s Port of Sunderland terminal earlier this month.
Guided by Lord John Fuller OBE, Chairman of Brineflow (Nitrasol), Dungworth filmed the marine and terminal operations relating to the arrival of the M/V Schwyz carrying 25,000 tonnes of fertiliser from Trinidad.
The visit offered a rare insight into how fertilisers are produced and shipped from the factory in Trinidad and across the Atlantic Ocean to the UK, before being distributed to farmers from Hampshire to the Highlands.
The day began on the pilot boat, where the group met Port Director, Matthew Hunt, before visiting the Nitrasol terminal then stepping aboard the M/V Schwyz. From the bridge with Captain Ravi to the engine room with Chief Engineer Mahesh, the film followed every stage of the operation – from pilot boarding and tug manoeuvres to ballast and water-cleaning systems, pipeline transfers, bunded storage and strict quality controls, which was viewed over 25,000 times in the first 24 hours.
Dungworth said: “As farmers, we often see fertiliser arriving at the farm gate but give little thought to the immense process that sees it arrive on Britain’s shores.
“Visiting the Port of Sunderland with Brineflow was incredibly eye-opening as it gave us a unique insight into the journey fertilisers embark upon to get here.
“From the Caribbean refinery right through to the sprayers in Cambridgeshire, it’s a global operation that underpins and sustains Britain’s entire farming industry and I saw how Sunderland is a pivotal player in that entire supply chain from factory to fork.”
Brineflow’s terminal in Sunderland, which can store 35,000 tonnes of fertiliser within an environmental containment bund at Youngs Quay was opened just four years ago and has already seen over 250,000 tonnes of fertilisers pass through the port including product that is re-exported to other ports in the UK.
Lord John Fuller OBE, Brineflow (Nitrasol), added: “We were delighted to welcome the influential PX Farms team and to be able to tell the Nitrasol story to thousands of farming subscribers who grow the crops that sustain our nation.”
Matthew Hunt, Port Director at Port of Sunderland, said: “It was a pleasure hosting the visit and having PX and the delegates join us for a look around the Brineflow terminal and the M/V Schwyz.
“Fertiliser is a critical part of the food supply chain and seeing first-hand how international shipments are handled here in Sunderland has helped to highlight the vital role we play each and every day in supporting UK agriculture.
“Our partnership with Brineflow has seen the Port become home to one of Europe’s largest and most advanced liquid fertiliser terminals in recent years, supplying farmers the length and breadth of the UK, and the documentary is a fantastic way of showcasing that.
“It has really given people a unique insight into our operations here at Port of Sunderland and just how critical a role our teams play in helping to keep Britain’s farms going.”
To view the full YouTube documentary visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx1tOo9ak2g