The chief executive of Milford Haven Port Authority has been elected chairman of the association which represents more than 80 of the UK's ports.
Ted Sangster has become chairman of The British Ports Association, whose member ports handle more than 95% of the UK's overseas trade.
Pledging to ensure their contribution to the UK's economy is fully recognised, Mr Sansgter said:
"Ports are the unsung heroes of the British economy.
"They quietly get on with their job enabling goods to be taken to market, but rarely have the profile enjoyed by other sectors of the transport equation
"The public has a very limited understanding of ports compared with their experience of road and rail, which generates strong opinions and a nation of transport policy experts."
Mr Sangster said his year as chairman would be one of non-stop consultation, with key UK and European policy reviews and legislation to be discussed.
He added: "We want to look at the growth in importance of the regions, the impact of new regional policies, devolution and who pays for transport infrastructure investment."
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