3rd February 2006

Thamesport (London) Limited has welcomed the inaugural call of the 8,073-TEU 'Hatsu Courage'. The
334-metre-long vessel is the fourth of eight ‘C’ types being introduced onto Evergreen’s China-Europe-
Mediterranean (CEM) service through the successful Medway port.

The vessel is the largest operated by Hatsu Marine Limited, part of the Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taipei), along with Italia Maritima (formerly Lloyd Triestino).

The new ‘C’ type vessels replace the 5,600-TEU ‘U’ types originally deployed on the service. Thamesport has already welcomed the 'Hatsu Courage'’s sister vessels 'LT Cortesia', 'Ever Champion' and 'Ever Charming' last year, and the remaining vessels - 'Ever Chivalry', 'LT Contessa', 'Ever Conquest' and 'Hatsu Crystal' - will all be deployed through the coming six months.

Chris Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, said:

“Thamesport enjoyed a highly successful year in 2005. Growth in trade between the Far East, particularly China, and the UK is continuing at strong levels, and the additional capacity that Evergreen are providing on this route means that Thamesport is even better placed to handle this trade in the future.”

To commemorate the inaugural visit of the 'Hatsu Courage' to Thamesport, Chris Hall, General Manager, presented the Master of the vessel with a print from a newly commissioned painting of the Port, by local Medway artist, Chris Jarvis, at a ceremony on board.

Thamesport is also celebrating the completion of a major upgrade to the A228, the main road leading to the Port. A 4km-stretch of the A228 has been dualled between Four Elms Hill and Ropers Lane in Hoo, at a cost of £18.2 million. The long-awaited road improvements will reduce queuing along one of Medway’s busiest roadways, and will help to strengthen Thamesport’s position as the UK ‘port of choice’ for importers and exporters.

ENDS

Note to Editors:

For further information, or a PHOTOGRAPH of the 'Hatsu Courage', please contact, Rachael Jackson, Corporate Affairs Officer, on Tel No: +44 (0)1394 604167 or Fax No: +44 (0)1394 604943, or E-mail [email protected]

Thamesport (TMP) is located in the heart of South East 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), a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL). HPH is the world's leading port investor, developer and operator with interests in 20 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Today, HPH operates a total of 242 berths in 41 ports, together with a number of transportation-related service companies. With industry-
recognised core competence in the effective and efficient management and operation of ports, the HPH Group handled 47.8 million TEU in 2004.