20 May 2013

His Excellency Liu Xiaoming, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in the United Kingdom, has visited the Port of Felixstowe, the Port of Britain.

During his visit, the Ambassador met with the port’s senior management and enjoyed a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities at the UK’s largest container port. The visit was also attended by Caroline Wilson, British Consul General to Hong Kong.

As well as being the largest port in the country, Felixstowe is also the most important port for trade with China, and the UK port of call for China’s two main container shipping lines, Cosco Container Lines and China Shipping Container Line.

Commenting on the visit, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, owner of the Port of Felixstowe, said:

“It is a great honour for us to welcome His Excellency Ambassador Liu and the Consul General to the Port of Felixstowe. China is the major source of container traffic moving through Felixstowe and accounts for over 40% of all container movements. We were delighted to have the opportunity to show them the latest investments we are making, including our third rail terminal and the new Berths 8&9, the only berths in the UK able to accommodate the next generation of giant containerships.”

Ambassador Liu said:

“It is a pleasure to visit the Port of Felixstowe, the UK’s most important port of trade with China. I am truly impressed by its top-notch facilities and amazing container handling efficiency. Hutchison Ports (UK) limited has demonstrated great far-sightedness in choosing to invest here and making it the largest container port in this nation.

“China-UK bilateral trade totalled $63.1 billion in 2012, a year-on-year increase of 7.5%. Our bilateral trade has kicked off with a good start this year, according to the figures in the first three months. I hope the Port of Felixstowe will play an even bigger role in China-UK trade and more and more Chinese companies like Cosco Container Lines will designate it as UK port of call. I wish Port of Felixstowe every success.”

Caroline Wilson said:

“It has been excellent to witness first hand the phenomenal facilities at Felixstowe port. The scale, speed and efficiency of operations is highly impressive. I am delighted that this is the work of Hong Kong's Hutchison, one of the UK's most valued foreign investors. They, and the Port of Felixstowe, are making a huge contribution to the growing trade and investment relationship between the UK and China.”

The importance of the Port of Felixstowe to trade with Asia was recognised last week when it received the 'Best Container Terminal in Europe' Award at the 27th Annual Asian Freight & Supply Chain Awards (the AFSCAs). The award was presented to the Port at a glittering ceremony held in Beijing.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

For further information, please contact Paul Davey, Head of Corporate Affairs, on Tel No: +44 (0)1394 602063, Fax No: +44 (0)1394 604943 or E-mail daveyps@hpuk.co.uk / www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk
Port of Felixstowe (PFL) is the largest container port in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe. PFL is a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group. Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL), is the world’s leading port investor, developer and operator. The HPH network of port operations comprises 320 berths in 52 ports, spanning 26 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia. Over the years, HPH has expanded internationally into other logistics, transportation-related and hotel businesses. These include cruise ship terminals, airport and hotel operations, distribution centres, rail services, and ship repair facilities. In 2012, the HPH port network handled a combined throughput of 76.8 million TEU worldwide.