Port of Felixstowe enters latest phase of expansion

The Port of Felixstowe has awarded a contract to VolkerFitzpatrick Limited for its latest phase of expansion at Hutchison Ports.

The company will be appointed to undertake the design and construction of approximately 13 hectares of paved container yard directly behind Berth 9. The work will include the reclamation of 3.2 hectares of seabed behind the existing finger pier.

Completion of the new container yard, which will comprise ten container blocks and allow 6-high stacking, is scheduled for early 2019. The yard will add 18,000 TEU of stacking capacity to the 130,000 TEU already available at the UK’s largest container port.

Commenting on the latest development, Clemence Cheng, Executive Director, Hutchison Ports, said:

    “Berths 8 and 9 were the first berths in the UK built to accommodate the latest class of ultra-large container vessels. The creation of additional container storage will allow us to optimise container handling operations between the berth and its supporting yard and further enhance the service we offer to our customers.”

The work is expected to further enhance the port’s ability to handle the world’s largest container ships. The port was the first in the UK to handle the latest class of 18,000+ TEU ships in 2013 and continues to handle more than any other port in the country.