Shareholders of Port of Liverpool owner Peel Ports, including the Whittaker family, share dividends of £174m amid a 15% rise in pre-tax profits. Tony McDonough reports
Port of Liverpool owner Peel Ports has revealed a surge in revenues and profits and another windfall for shareholders.
Peel Ports has just posted its annual accounts for the 12 months to March 31, 2025, on Companies House. They show a 10.5% rise in revenues to £766.5m and a 15% rise in pre-tax profits to £163m.
In the annual report, the company said: “The strong results for the year demonstrate the group’s ability to continue to respond with agility to risks and opportunities in challenging markets.
“There is continuing economic uncertainty surrounding the continuing global effects of the wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, though the fundamentals of the business are unchanged and the group is planning for further growth.”
Major shareholders in the group are the billionaire Whittaker Family. They own a 68% stake in Peel Group which has a 37.6% share in Peel Ports. They will share an annual dividends payout of £173.9m.
Peel Ports operates ports in Liverpool, Heysham, Medway, Clydeport, Great Yarmouth and Dublin. Its assets also include the Manchester Ship Canal, where it offers bulk solid cargo handling at Runcorn and Ellesmere Port.
It also has a short sea shipping line and owns BG Freight Line, which provides short sea container services.
Liverpool is the largest port in the group and is the UK’s fourth largest port by tonnage and one of its most diversified. Commodities handled include grain and animal feed, biomass, bulk liquids, metals and aggregates, containers and forest products.
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During the financial year net investment in capital expenditure totalled £164m. This included the completion of the new Alexandra Warehouse for the Port of Liverpool and the construction of a new ro-ro berth at Sheerness.
In September Peel Ports said the Port of Liverpool would benefit from a £100m investment into the steel and metals sector.
In April LBN revealed the Port of Liverpool had seen a record 702,000 tonnes of steel processed on the Mersey in 2024. Imports came in from countries including South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Turkey, and other European countries.
It is looking to capitalise on that growing demand with further investment into Liverpool and its other UK locations. It is currently progressing with a £32m project to add a further 140,000 sq ft of storage at its Mersey steel and metals terminals.