THE Government’s shipping minister has visited Harwich.

MP Nusrat Ghani visited Harwich Haven Authority in her role as Minister for Shipping and Maritime.

She arrived at the harbour by pilot launch and was escorted on a tour of the authority’s facilities by chief executive Neil Glendinning and the board chairman Jim Keohane.

Ms Ghani also heard more about the authority’s planned harbour improvement project.

The minister concluded her tour with a visit to the Harwich operations centre, which manages a 150 square mile jurisdiction zone and operates 24/7, 365 days a year.

The vessel traffic service ensures that all vessels arriving to and departing from the Haven do so safely and efficiently.

Mr Glendinning said: “We were delighted the minister took time out of her extremely busy schedule to visit us.

“With almost 40 per cent of all UK’s containerised imports arriving into the Haven Ports each year, the authority plays a vital role in the local, regional and national economy.

“We also took the opportunity to update the minister about our harbour improvement project, which will ensure the Haven Ports remain prosperous and critical to the economic success of the country.”