Monday 17 February 2014

Quay extension at the Port of Felixstowe

The Port of Felixstowe has received consent from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for the extension of its newest container handling facility, Berths 8&9. The expansion marks yet another milestone to increase the port's ability to berth the next generation of mega vessels.
Commenting on the latest development at the port, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of HPUK, said:
“We welcome MMO’s decision to consent to the extension of Berths 8&9 by 190 metres at the Port of Felixstowe. This scheme represents the latest in a long line of investments by HPUK at the Port of Felixstowe. We opened Berths 8&9 in November 2011 and this new extension will allow us to offer more berth-windows and greater flexibility to our customers. This is an important investment as it will increase our ability to berth a greater number of the very largest container vessels in the future.”
Port of Felixstowe, the Port of Britain, is the only Port in the UK to have handled the 18,000 TEU class, the biggest container vessels in service, recently introduced on the Asia – Europe trade.
Clemence Cheng added:
“Our commitment to a programme of continuous investment has helped secure our position as the Port of Britain. This latest phase of development is designed not only for the latest generation of container vessels, but for those that will follow them in future. With a design depth of up to 18 metres alongside, and cranes able to span 25 containers across a vessel, this facility gives our customers confidence in our ability to deliver for them in the long term.”
Work on the new quay will commence as soon as possible and it is scheduled to be operational in 2015. The quay extension will take the total berth length for container vessels at Felixstowe to over 3,250 metres, serviced by 37 ship-to-shore gantry cranes.

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.