Britain’s biggest port has received permission for a new multi-million pound extension that will enable it to simultaneously handle two 'mega-ships'.
Work will start on the 190-metre 'finger quay' at the Port of Felixstowe later this year, and it is expected to be operational by 2015.
The extension will be incorporated in the £300 million berths 8 and 9, which were completed three years ago. It will allow the port to berth two 18,000-box container ferries side-by-side, and increase capacity by 275,000 standard-sized containers a year.
Clemence Cheng, chief executive officer of Hutchison Ports UK, which owns the Suffolk port, said: “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.
“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.'
After carrying out a detailed environmental impact assessment, The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) gave consent for the project and associated dredging to cope with the depth of the new vessels yesterday (17 February).
So far, Felixstowe is the only port in the UK to have handled the 400-metre, 18,000-container Maersk Triple-E vessels.
Cheung added: “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.”
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