11th April 2003

Thamesport (London) Limited welcomed the launch of a new Mediterranean service on Friday 11th April 2003, with the arrival of the 2000-TEU 'Diman II'.

The new service, designated the Europe - Levant Express (ELS) service, is a slot-chartering agreement between Evergreen, Lloyd Triestino and Zim.

The service connects North Europe with major ports in the Eastern Mediterranean, and offers a weekly schedule maintained by four chartered vessels, 'Diman II', 'Pacific Link', 'Nautique' and 'HSH Ubin'.

The initial port rotation, based on fixed days of the week port calls, will be:

Thamesport - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Antwerp - Lisbon - Taranto - Piraeus - Istanbul - Izmir - Taranto - Thamesport.

A northbound call at Lisbon is also envisaged in the near future.

Thamesport Director, Richard Pearson, welcomed the service:

“We are delighted that Thamesport has been chosen as the UK port of call for the ELS service. This service enables Thamesport to serve an even wider network of international ports, and gives UK importers and exporters increased access to these important markets.”

ENDS

Note to Editors:

For further information, or a PHOTOGRAPH, please contact, Paul Davey, Corporate Affairs Manager, on Tel No: +44 (0)1394 604987 or Fax No: +44 (0)1394 604943, or E-mail daveyps@hpuk.co.uk

Thamesport (TMP) is located in the heart of Southeast England, 10 miles from the M2 motorway, 35 miles from London. It is one of the UK’s busiest container ports. TMP is a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings Group (HPH), the world’s leading port investor, developer and operator with interests in 15 countries throughout Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Today, HPH operates a total of 31 ports together with a number of transportation related service companies.