Hutchison Ports Uk News

Hutchison Ports Harwich International has become a new base for the British Antarctic Survey’s two ice-strengthened Royal Research Ships, the RRS James Clark Ross and the RRS Ernest Shackleton.The two ships are making their inaugural calls at the port in September before deploying to the Antarctic, where they will remain until summer 2019.Commenting on the calls, Mark Seaman, Finance Director, Hutchison Ports (UK), said: “Harwich International is well known for its excellent ferry links to the Continent, however, the port has a wide range of facilities and handles a variety of cargoes and ship types. We normally see general and project cargoes as well as both dry and liquid bulks…

Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited in its latest ship2shore Magazine takes a look at methods of weighing containers. Half a century after containerization first emerged to transform the world of shipping, a landmark new regulation is on the horizon. From 1 July 2016, an amendment to the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention will require every packed export container to have its weight verified before it is loaded on to a ship. The new regulation puts this responsibility firmly on the shipper – but how many shippers are actually ready for container weighing? The Freight Transport Association recently warned that shippers could fall foul of the new legislation after 1 July 2016 if they don’t put measures in place to verify the gross mass of their containers.

The Port of Felixstowe welcomed 105 calls last year by container ships of over 18,000 TEU, including all the largest container ships in the world. It is now firmly established as the UK port of call for these giants of the sea. The year of mega-ships started in January with the maiden call of the CSCL Globe which, at 19,100 TEU capacity, set a new world-record as the largest ship then in service. The record was short-lived however, the 19,224 TEU MSC Oscar pushed the bar even higher when it arrived at Felixstowe in March. June saw the maiden call of the first of United Arab Shipping Company’s (UASC) A-18 class vessels, the Barzan. Although advertised as ‘only’ 18,800 TEU, the A-18 ships have a nominal capacity of 19,870 TEU.

Transport Minister Robert Goodwill MP has taken part in a round table discussion with transport leaders from the ports, road, rail freight and shipping industry at the Port of Felixstowe, the Port of Britain. Mr Goodwill’s responsibilities at the Department for Transport include ports and shipping but the meeting, convened by Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, included discussions about the need for a joined-up approach connecting the maritime sector with other areas of transport policy. “We were delighted to welcome Robert Goodwill and leaders from across the industry to participate in these discussions. As trade and the ships that carry it continue to grow, further pressure is placed on transport infrastructure and transport operators.

The Port of Felixstowe, the Port of Britain, has become the first UK port to receive full Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status. The AEO initiative was introduced by the European Commission through the Union Customs Code to help simplify customs procedures and secure international supply chains. Commenting on the accreditation, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, owners of the Port of Felixstowe, said, "Being the first port in the UK to achieve full AEO status demonstrates our commitment to providing the best possible level of service to our customers. It recognises the robustness and consistency of the port's procedures, giving customers and UK Customs comfort that the high standards required to achieve accreditation are maintained.

The Port of Felixstowe has taken another step to improve both its operational and environmental efficiency with the introduction of its first electric-powered Rubber-Tyred Gantry Cranes (RTGs). The four machines, originally manufactured by ZPMC in Shanghai, have been converted from diesel to electric primary drive in the first project of its kind in Western Europe. The work was undertaken by Kalmar, part of the Cargotec group. Commenting on the initiative, Paul Davey, Head of Corporate Affairs, Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd, owners of the Port of Felixstowe, said, "The Port of Felixstowe is fully committed to providing the highest levels of operational performance whilst at the same time reducing the impact of its operations on the environment.

The Port of Felixstowe has welcomed the first call at the UK’s largest container port of Evergreen’s CES (China Europe Shuttle) service. The 8,452 TEU Ever Laden launched the service from the Port of Britain in late May. The CES Service links North Europe to Asia with calls in Taiwan as well as China. The service has recently been calling at ports in continental Europe only. Commenting on the decision by Evergreen to introduce a UK call at Felixstowe, Clemence Cheng, Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited Chief Executive Officer, said, “The decision by Evergreen to call at the Port of Felixstowe underlines our position as the port of choice for container lines in the UK.

The UK’s logistics industry has welcomed the opening of a new deepwater terminal at the country’s busiest container terminal, which is capable of handling the latest generation of container vessels. The Felixstowe South Terminal will comprise two berths – 8 & 9 – and its owner, Hutchison Ports UK , claims it is currently the only facility in the country capable of handling the latest generation of containerships, which have capacities of up to 18,000teu. Graham Riches, Managing Director, DSV Air & Sea, said: “The opening of this new terminal is great news for the whole of the UK. He continued, “Our customers need a reliable and regular supply chain and it is essential that the freight industry is able to provide business with the option of direct ports of call.