Hutchison Ports call for judicial review into berth development at Southampton Port

22 Nov 2011 - AtoN and Mooring/Berthing, Port Planning

• Approval for £80 million upgrade of Southampton Port removed amid legal action from UK rival

A judicial review into the development of berths 201 and 202 at the Port of Southampton by Felixstowe Port owner, Hutchison Ports, has meant that the £80 million upgrade will now be re-evaluated.

The High Court has now ruled that the original decision made by the Marine Management Organization (MMO) in February will now be nullified subject to the outcome of the review, according to This is Hampshire.

The reassessment process has already been discussed between the MMO and ABP Southampton, with a spokeswoman for the MMO commenting that “ABP Southampton issued a new environmental statement (ES) to the MMO on October 24 and we are currently reviewing this document.”

“Once the MMO is satisfied with the scope of the ES we will proceed to consultation with our primary consultees and the public.”

The legal action is now likely to delay the project, according to ABP Southampton director Doug Morrison, who added that despite the legal proceedings he was “desperate” for the project to move forward.

However, ABP still hope to receive planning permission early next year and for the new quay space to be fully operational in the final quarter of 2013.

The construction of berths 201 and 202 would add an additional 500 meter quay wall, enabling the largest ships operating on the ocean to call at the port. The increasing size of container vessels among shipping fleets has meant that the existing berths at Southampton Port are no longer able to accommodate four vessels at a time, meaning loss of trade and business.

The development of berths 201 and 202 is part of ABP’s ambitious plans to increase the handling capacity at the port located on England’s south coast to 2.7 million TEU a year. Southampton Port currently has an annual capacity of 2 million.

In contrast Felixstowe, the UK’s largest port, has just opened two new 730 meter berths, berths 8 and 9, both capable of accommodating the largest ships on the ocean.