Peel Ports Logistics, which operates a number of shipping related services on the Mersey and the Humber, sees profits surge 43% to £3m as it gets set to benefit from a £10m investment at Birkenhead. Tony McDonough reports
Peel Ports Logistics (PPL) has grown its annual pre-tax profits by 43% despite reporting an identical turnover to the previous year.
In its accounts for the 12 months to March 31, 2025, posted on Companies House, PPL revealed revenues of £14.4m, the same as the previous 12 months. However, pre-tax profits in the same period surged from £2.1m to £3m.
Operating from headquarters in Ellesmere Port, next to the Manchester Ship Canal, the company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Port of Liverpool owner Peel Ports, offers freight forwarding, port services, stevedoring, shipbroking and chartering.
It operates port facilities at Ellesmere Port, Birkenhead, Runcorn and the Humber Bulk Terminal on the east coast of England. In its annual report PPL said “effective cost control” had led to “a robust performance in a challenging trading environment”.
READ MORE: £174m dividends windfall for Port of Liverpool owners
In November 2025 it was revealed Peel Ports was to invest in a £10m upgrade of Birkenhead Docks to create an extra 460,000 sq ft of cargo capacity.
Serving markets in the UK and overseas, Birkenhead Port will handle a diverse range of freight, including bulk, steel, timber, containerised cargo, heavy lift, project cargo, and renewables and offshore equipment.
A dedicated container handling and devanning operation, offering both indoor and outdoor storage, is already in place. PPL will offer a dedicated on-site logistics service from vessel chartering right through to final delivery by road.
Speaking at the time, Seb Gardiner, managing director of PPL, said: “This investment reflects our commitment to bringing the Eastfloat Terminal back to life – we are both restoring its heritage and transforming it into a vibrant, modern logistics hub.”
In January 2024 LBN revealed PPL had secured a deal to become the new shipping agent for the huge Drax biomass power station in Yorkshire. This sees vessels coming into the Mersey from North America on a weekly basis carrying biomass, usually woodchips.