HARWICH International Port has played host to a high-level delegation from the Chinese offshore wind industry.

The chairman of Hongbo Nantong Windpower Equipment, four senior executives from the ZTT Submarine Cable Company, and representatives of the Nantong Bureau of Commerce and the Maritime Union, visited the port to explore opportunities in the UK.

David Gledhill, chief executive of Hutchison Ports (UK), which owns Harwich International, said: “We are pleased to welcome these very important visitors and to have the opportunity to showcase Harwich’s capabilities and strengths in the wind energy sector.

“Having already assisted with three of the UK’s major wind energy sites at Greater Gabbard, Thanet and London Array, we are pleased that Harwich is becoming internationally renowned for its Green Energy facilities.

“Sustainable energy sources are of paramount importance, and it is good to know that Harwich International Port has the right location, facilities, and expertise to support current, and future, wind farm developments, both nationally and worldwide, securing a ‘greener’ future for all.”

Nantong Hongbo Windpower Equipment have the capacity to manufacture 400 sets of towers per year and 600 gearboxes. The company aims to be the biggest in China with a capacity greater than 1,000 sets per year. It currently supplies Vestas, Gamesa, Siemens, Fuji and the leading Chinese domestic wind power companies.

ZTT is the largest vertically-integrated cable manufacturer in China. It supplies the China National Offshore Oil Company and is increasingly supplying the China offshore wind industry.