22nd February 2006

Thamesport (London) Limited is celebrating the creation of an additional two new resin silos for major UK resin importer, Resin Trade. The company, based in Burton-upon-Trent, already have one dedicated silo at the Medway facility for the storage of resin products, and have plans for even more in the future.

Prior to their move to a bulk handling solution at Thamesport, Resin Trade shipped all their cargo in 40' containers, each containing 18 pallets of 55 x 25kg bags. Over the past 12 months, Resin Trade have progressively moved to importing the majority of their cargo in polyethylene-lined 20’ containers, which is the preferred mode of transport of the production company, Equate Petrochemicals. The resin can then be discharged directly into the silos, each with a capacity of 100 tonnes, and loaded into bulk tankers with ease.

Since the opening of the first silo in January 2005, Resin Trade’s volumes through Thamesport have steadily increased; with the additional two silos, throughput should increase again over the coming 18 months by approximately 50%.

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

“We are extremely encouraged by the growth of Resin Trade’s business through Thamesport. As a major UK port, we are committed to providing the right kind of facilities to suit our customers’ needs, and Resin Trade’s continued investment in Thamesport reinforces our position as a leading provider of on-port storage and logistics solutions.”

Resin Trade are major importers of poliolefins, resin granules used in the production of plastic packaging such as carrier bags, and various plastic films. The company has developed close relationships with a number of major polymer manufacturers throughout the world, who rely upon the company’s professionalism and reliability to distribute their materials. In addition, close ties to key consumers enable the company to act as sourcing agents, particularly for overseas manufacturers.

ENDS

Note to Editors:

For further information, or a PHOTOGRAPH, please contact Rachael Jackson, Corporate Affairs Officer, on Tel No: +44 (0)1394 604167, Fax No: +44 (0)1394 604943 or e-mail: jacksonr@hpuk.co.uk

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 (HPH) Group, 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.