Customs Zones

Businesses within customs zones will receive a range of tariff benefits, including duty deferral while the goods remain on-site and suspended import VAT on goods entering the customs zone.

The benefits

At the Teesside Freeport, imports can enter the customs area without paying tariffs. Businesses operating inside designated areas across the freeport can manufacture goods using the imports and add value, before exporting to a number of international markets, without ever paying the full tariff on the original goods they imported.

Companies operating within the freeport will be able to apply for duty inversion if the finished goods exiting the freeport attract a lower tariff than the component parts originally imported. In addition, businesses will be authorised to use simplified import procedures and streamlined planning processes to reduce administrative burdens.

Duty suspension on entry
Duty exemptions for re-exports
Duty flexibility to select most beneficial treatment on imports

ABLE Seaton Port

ABLE Seaton Port is located on the north bank of the River Tees and covers 126 acres including one of the world’s largest dry docks of 25 acres. It is at the heart of the UK offshore wind zones and crucially the infrastructure is already in place, making it available now for the offshore wind sector to use.

Teesside International Airport

Offering daily flights to London Heathrow, Teesside International Airport connects the Tees Valley to the capital and beyond. Together with its Amsterdam Schiphol service, this unlocks more than 200 destinations worldwide for both business and leisure.

Wilton Engineering

Based on the north bank of the River Tees, Wilton Engineering specialises in designing, manufacturing, coating and loading out large complicated structures for industries including oil and gas, subsea, marine, decommissioning and offshore wind.

Redcar Bulk Terminal

Located on the south bank, near the mouth of the River Tees, Redcar Bulk Terminal is the east coast’s deepest water marine terminal.

Port of Middlesbrough

Positioned on the River Tees, the Port of Middlesbrough provides multimodal logistics solutions across a number of sectors including energy and renewables, construction, agriculture, automotive and waste.

Teesport & Port of Hartlepool

As the primary frontier ports, Teesport and the Port of Hartlepool are operated by PD Ports, one of the Tees Valley’s largest employers and the UK’s northern gateway for international trade.

LV Shipping

LV Shipping & Transport is an international logistics provider, offering a full range of services by land, sea and air from the Tees Valley across the globe. Established in Rotterdam in 1921, the LV Group has a presence in strategic locations across the world, with its UK flagship facility part of the Teesside Freeport.

Liberty Steel Hartlepool

Liberty Steel Hartlepool manufactures longitudinally submerged arc welded carbon steel pipes, supplying the world’s major energy companies, as well as the construction and civil sectors.

Teesworks

Split into Teesworks West and Teesworks East, this tax and customs area covers a combined total of almost 1,000 acres, with the wider development making it Europe’s largest brownfield site.