Associated British Ports (ABP) owns and operates 21 ports in the United Kingdom, managing around 25 per cent of the UK's sea-borne trade. The company's activities cover transport, haulage and terminal operations, ship's agency, dredging and marine consultancy.
History
Ports formerly owned by rail and canal companies were nationalised in 1947 by Clement Attlee's post Second World War Attlee government, forming part of the operations of the British Transport Commission. The commission was split in 1962 by the Transport Act 1962; the British Transport Docks Board (BTDB) was formed in 1962 as a government-owned body to manage various ports throughout Great Britain.[1]
In 1981 the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher implemented the Transport Act 1981, which provided for the BTDB's privatisation.[2] Because of BTDB's statutory powers as a harbour operator, a straightforward conversion to limited company status was impractical.