RNS Number:5646L
Associated British Ports Hldgs PLC
27 May 2003



                  DEALINGS BY SUBSTANTIAL SHAREHOLDERS


1)   NAME OF COMPANY

ASSOCIATED BRITISH PORTS HOLDINGS PLC


2)   NAME OF SHAREHOLDER HAVING A MAJOR INTEREST

THREADNEEDLE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED


3)   Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of 
     holding of the Shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a 
     non-beneficial interest or in the case of an individual holder if it is a
     holding of that person's spouse or children under the age of 18

IN RESPECT OF THE ABOVE NAMED SHAREHOLDER


4)   Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the 
     number of shares held by each of them.

PLEASE SEE DOCUMENTATION BELOW


5)   Number of shares/amount of stock acquired.



6)   ( %) of issued Class

7)   Number of shares/amount of stock disposed



8)   ( %) of issued Class

9)   Class of security

ORDINARY SHARES OF 25 PENCE


10)  Date of transaction



11)  Date company informed

27 MAY 2003


12)  Total holding following this notification


               
13)  Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

PLEASE SEE DOCUMENTATION BELOW


14)  Any additional information



15)  Name of contact and telephone number for queries

     AVRIL WINSON
     020 7430 6848


16)  Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for 
     making this notification

    

     Date of Notification .......27 MAY 2003........



To: Associated British Ports Holdings plc
Dated: 22 May 2003

SECTION 198 COMPANIES ACT 1985

We refer to the letters dated 20 December 2000 and 9 April 2002, disclosing a 
Notifiable Interest of Zurich Financial Services and its Group in the shares of 
your Company.

In accordance with the provisions of the above Section, we would inform you of a 
change to the notifiable interest over shares in your Company, which are held as 
detailed on the schedule below.


                    Associated British Ports Holdings plc
 
Registered Owner                                     Ordinary 25p Shares
BNY (OCS) Nominees Ltd           A/c 219064                      750,464
BNY (OCS) Nominees Ltd           A/c 219077                       20,805
BNY (OCS) Nominees Ltd           A/c 219078                       15,953
BNY (OCS) Nominees Ltd           A/c 219059                      233,491
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 02642                       645,867
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 09890                       185,535
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 07199                        62,008
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 07207                       967,160
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 21688                     1,042,733
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 07205                     1,268,846
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 11121                        26,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 07198                       644,494
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 02891                    13,130,016
Littledown Nominees Ltd          A/c 03449                       647,102
                                                              
TOTAL                                                         19,640,474

Notes

Littledown Nominees Ltd is a nominee for the ZFS Group subsidiaries: Allied
Dunbar Assurance plc, Eagle Star Insurance Company Ltd; Eagle Star Life
Assurance Company Ltd; Zurich Financial Services UK Pension Trustee Ltd; Eagle
Star Executives Pension Trustee Ltd; Eagle Star Securities Ltd; Sceptre Trust
Ltd; Home & Overseas Insurance Company Ltd; Threadneedle Pensions Ltd; and J.P.
Morgan Trustee and Depositary Company Ltd, the Trustee for Eagle Star Unit
Managers Ltd and the Depository to Threadneedle Investment Funds ICVC. It is
also a nominee for various companies not within the ZFS Group.

BNY (OCS) Nominees Ltd is a nominee for the ZFS Group subsidiaries: Zurich
Insurance Company (UK) Ltd, Zurich Life Assurance Company Ltd and Zurich
International (UK) Ltd. It is also a nominee for various companies not within
the ZFS Group.

ZFS is Zurich Financial Services, a company incorporated in Switzerland. 

This notification is made on behalf of:

Allied Dunbar Assurance plc;

Eagle Star Group Services Ltd, Eagle Star Life Assurance Company Ltd, Zurich
Financial Services UK Pension Trustee Ltd, Eagle Star Executives Pension
Trustee Ltd and Eagle Star Holdings Limited;

Threadneedle Asset Management Ltd, Threadneedle Pensions Ltd and Threadneedle 
Asset Management Holdings Ltd;

Geneva Life Insurance Company; Zurich International (UK) Ltd, Zurich Life
Insurance Company, Assuricum AG, Zurich Specialties London Ltd, Zurich Holdings
(UK) Ltd, Zurich Life Assurance Company Ltd, Zurich Insurance Company (UK) Ltd,
and Zurich Insurance Company;

Allied Zurich Holdings Ltd, Zurich Financial Services (UKISA) Ltd, Zurich Group
Holding, Zurich Insurance Company and Allied Zurich plc, the intermediate
holding companies of the aforementioned companies, and Zurich Financial
Services, their ultimate holding company.

The shares could be available for lending and this could lead to a short term 
re-registration.

22 May 2003
 
From: Threadneedle Asset Management Limited


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END
HOLARMITMMTTBTJ