Trust port

What is a trust port?

Trust ports are independent statutory bodies, governed by their own local legislation and, run by independent boards, for the benefit of stakeholders. Unlike private company port they have no shareholders so all the surpluses from port operations are put back into the port.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra) first issued guidance to modernise and update trust ports in 2000 and that guidance applied in Scotland as well as the rest of the UK. The Department for Transport issued updated guidance in 2009 which only applies to England and Wales.  A revision of the original guidance for application in Scotland is in preparation.