Newport (Wales)

Newport is a port city in Southeast Wales, located on River Usk (near the confluence with Severn estuary). The port is approx 19 km (12 mi) northeast of Cardiff. By population, the city is ranked the country's 3rd largest (around 145,000 city and over 305,000 metro). The Cardiff-Newport metro area has a combined population of around 1,097 million.

Newport's been a port since medieval times when the Normans built Newport Castle. The town outgrew earlier Roman town Caerleon, immediately upstream, and gained the first charter in 1314. Newport grew significantly in the 19th century when its port became the focus of coal export from the eastern valleys of South Wales. Newport was Wales' biggest coal-exporting port until the rise of Cardiff from the 1850s. It was the site of the last big-scale armed insurrection in Britain, Newport Rising led by the Chartists in 1839.

When the docks declined in importance during the 20th century, Newport remained an important engineering and manufacturing centre. In 2002 it was granted city status. In 2010 Newport hosted the Ryder Cup. The city was the venue of the 2014 NATO summit.

On February 12, 2018, work started on ABP's GBP 4,5-million project for building additional warehousing at Port Newport. The new storage facility (aka "21 Shed") was needed for the increased agriculture-related cargo shipping volumes. The new warehouse is covered and sized 70,000 ft2 / 6500 m2.

• For FY 2017, the port reported a 14% increase in fertilizer (bulk cargo) imports and a 54% increase in animal feed imports.
• In 2017, the port handled a total of 2,2 million tons of cargo.
• The port supports 3000 local jobs and contributes GBP 186 million to the country's economy.

Port Newport is managed by ABP (Associated British Ports). In 2015, ABP invested GBP 3,3 million in new gantry cranes/ In 2016, ABP invested GBP 2,3 million in a new warehouse (sized 3500 ft2 / 325 m2) and in building new weighbridge facilities.

In mid-December 2020, ABP agreed a new lease with Bayliss Metals (Cardiff-based family-owned metal recycling company). The 1,5 acres (0,6 hectares) lease site is on the East Lock and allows Bayliss Metals Cardiff to prepare and assemble export cargoes. The site was previously upgraded by ABP (~GBP 1 million investment) with drainage, lighting and concrete surfacing. Bayliss Metals specializes in receiving and processing scrap metal at (currently) 3 scrapyards in Wales.

Newport cruise terminal