Docking at the Port of Tyne, the bulk cargo vessel St Dimitrios has sailed straight in to the record books for discharging the biggest cargo of wood pallets ever handled at the Port.
In total 62,000 tonnes of wood-pellets will be unloaded over a five-day operation - destined for Drax Power station in North Yorkshire.
The 229m long vessel has sailed almost 8,846 nautical miles over 44 days from Vancouver, Canada with its cargo of wood-pellets which is now replacing coal as a fuel in power stations to provide electricity for the National Grid.
Steven Harrison, Port of Tyne Chief Operating Officer, said: "The Port of Tyne has been pioneering handling of this type of cargo since 2010 - our skilled operation enables a cargo of this size to be discharged in only 5 days and stored in a purposely designed on-site storage facility.
"Our rail terminal then takes the pellets directly to the power station eliminating road miles and increasing efficiency."
Since 2010 the Port of Tyne has handled almost 7 million tonnes of environmentally sustainable wood-pellets.
Source: Port of Tyne