15th October 2013


The Port of Felixstowe has handled four of the world’s largest container ships in 24 hours and become the first port in the UK to handle an 18,000 TEU vessel.

The period of intense activity at the UK’s busiest container port began with the arrival of the 13,000 TEU MSC Capella, and included maiden calls by the 18,000 TEU Majestic Maersk, currently the largest class of vessel in the world, and the 13,400 TEU Cosco England. The 14,000 TEU MSC Gaia was the fourth of the quartet.

Commenting on the series of Ultra Large Container Ships (ULCSs) calling at the port, Paul Davey, Head of Corporate Affairs of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, owners of the Port of Felixstowe, said:

“The global shipping industry is witnessing rapid growth not just in the size of container ships, but also in the number of the largest ULCSs calling in Europe. Seeing four of these giant ships at Felixstowe in 24 hours demonstrates our unique ability to handle multiple calls by the very largest ships simultaneously.

“We are committed to an on-going programme of investment to ensure that we stay ahead of the game when it comes to providing the facilities and resources necessary to turn even the biggest container ships around in the quickest possible time. It is also testimony to the skill and experience of our workforce that all the vessels were completed on or ahead of planned schedule.”

The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the UK. It benefits from being the closest UK container port to the main ports of Northern Europe and having direct marine access from the North Sea.



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.