The busy container terminal grew annual volumes with 150,000 containers moving through the port in 2022.

October and November are the port’s peak months for Scotland’s seed potato trade with over half of the annual total of reefers (refrigerated containers) passing through the container terminal in Grangemouth.

Annually, around 3,500 reefers containing approximately 65,000 tonnes of seed potatoes grown on farms across Scotland including Caithness & Sutherland, Grampian, Angus, Perthshire, Fife, the Borders and Ayrshire are shipped around the world.

The spuds make their way from Grangemouth principally to Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and the Middle East and as far afield as Taiwan and Thailand. As well as potatoes, fish and seafood originating from all over Scotland move through the port in refrigerated containers to be shipped around the world to countries such as China, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Greece.

Derek Knox, director of operations for Forth Ports, said: “We have just had our busiest period of the year for our freight hub in Grangemouth and the Scottish tatties are just part of the goods we export globally in the winter months. We are Scotland’s largest container terminal and we play an important part in the country’s export and import market.

“We handle around 1 million tonnes of food and drink products each year at the port including seafood, spirits, cheese and of course potatoes, being shipped out around the world.

“This volume is handled by our efficient and experienced terminal teams ensuring everything is loaded onto vessels on time in order that cargo can meet connections to get to international destinations on time”

The port, which will be a key part of the Forth Green Freeport which was successfully shortlisted earlier this month, has benefited from significant investment including over 500,000 sq. ft. of new warehousing space opening at the port over the past five years.

In December, five new straddle carriers arrived into port to increase its capacity for storing both conventional containers and reefers. The new straddle carriers will replace five of the existing fleet of 16.

Grangemouth handles some of Scotland’s most valuable exports, such as fine foods and drinks, with over £6 billion worth of goods passing through the port each year including steel plate, timber, paper and equipment for the oil and gas industry.