Felixstowe expansion consent

Felixstowe is working hard to increase its capacity and ability to berth the next generation of mega vessels – there is more competition on the scene now than there was back in 2006 when the port first gained government approval for the expansion.

Clemence Cheng, chief executive, Hutchison Ports UK, which owns Felixstowe, said that the consent was important because it will allow the port to open more berth windows and increase flexibility.

“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,” he said.

Berths 8 & 9 will be extended by 190m with a design depth of up to 18m alongside enabling cranes to be able to span 25 containers across a vessel. The new quay is scheduled to be operational in 2015.

At the moment, Felixstowe is the only port in the UK to handle the 18,000 teu class, currently the largest class of vessels in operation on the Asia to Europe shipping routes.

The expansion plans have been rumbling on for a long time. One of the conditions attached to the project was that work could not start on phase one until all agreements were in place for necessary rail upgrade works. These were completed last year in a move which saw the container port’s rail capacity double.