Marine Policy

Associated British Ports (ABP) is the Statutory and Competent Harbour Authority for 22 separate ports and harbours located around the UK. The breadth and depth of knowledge and experience that comes from managing these ports and harbours has enabled ABP to play a leading role in the ongoing development of the Port Marine Safety Code.

The Port Marine Safety Code, which was revised in 2009, serves to highlight the responsibilities that are allied to being a Harbour Authority and has established a requirement for all Harbour Authorities to formalise their procedures.

In publishing the ABP Marine Policy we aim to demonstrate our commitment to the safe and responsible operation of our ports and harbours by detailing areas of primary concern and bringing a greater degree of transparency to our work than has ever been witnessed before. Linked to this policy, each ABP port and harbour has prepared plans detailing the precise manner in which this policy is to be implemented.

We have continued to strengthen our reporting procedures and introduced performance targets; we have nominated a designated person to provide assurances that the ABP marine safety management systems are working effectively and we have introduced a system for auditing and reviewing our performance against this policy.

By implementing this policy, ABP continues to build upon its known track record of safe and efficient operations, while endeavouring to identify further opportunities to improve that record whenever and wherever we can.

Click here to download a pdf version of ABP's Marine Policy

Click here to be taken to the ABP group marine information and compliance information site.