THE Secretary of State for Transport has called the Port of Southampton “crucial to long-term growth” during a visit to the city docks.

Chris Grayling MP was given an insight into the workings of the Southampton port yesterday, which is ranked as number one for the handling of UK exports.

Supporting 15 million jobs across England, the volume of vehicles handled at the port is set to grow to 950,000 by the end of the year.

The figures represent an increase of 200,000 during the last four years.

Seeing first-hand the operations at the UK’s largest vehicle handling port, the MP also spent time viewing the two new vehicle handing facilities, which are currently under construction as part of a £50m investment in handling vehicle exports in the UK.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling said: “I was delighted to visit the Port of Southampton and see for myself the impressive investment going into it.

“Ports like Southampton are crucial to the long-term growth of our economy as we work to expand international trade over the next few years.

“The government is continually investing in road and rail connections to help improve the logistics at ports across the UK.

“This will continue to be a key priority this year as we look forward to September’s London International Shipping Week, where we will display the best of the UK’s maritime sector.”

Every year the port handles £40 billion worth of exports and by the end of 2017 is set to have welcomed 1.9 million passengers enjoying cruise ships for destinations across the world.

Director Alastair Welch said: “It was a great opportunity to demonstrate to the secretary of state the vital role the Port of Southampton plays in the UK economy, offering access to international markets for UK businesses and manufacturers.

“On the quayside in Southampton the minister was able to see British manufactured goods arriving by train and being loaded onto ships ready for export all over the world.

“We also highlighted ABP’s ongoing commitment to investing in our 21 ports around Britain, and to working with our customers and the government to help make sure trade and exports can continue to grow in the years ahead.”

ABP is the UK’s leading ports operator with 21 ports, contributing £5.6 billion to the UK economy yearly.

Supporting 84,000 jobs, its current investment programmes promises to deliver a further £1.75 billion. The Port of Southampton itself contributes £1 billion to the UK economy every year, handling14 million tonnes of commodities.