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UK port handles its 70th million TEU since opening for business
The Port of Felixstowe is this week celebrating a major milestone after moving its 70th million TEU since it opened for commercial operations in the mid-1960s.
The occasion was marked with the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport the Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP assigned the task of loading the landmark container aboard the 13,800-TEU MSC Bettina, albeit with the guidance of one of the port’s crane driving instructors.
“I’m proud to help celebrate this milestone for the port – 70 million containers is a truly staggering amount and is a testament to the important role Felixstowe continues to play in driving growth,” said McLoughlin.
“Shipping and maritime are big business for the UK – the sector is already worth up to £14 billion per year to the economy and, most importantly, it is steadily growing.”
Whilst at the port the Secretary of State met with key players in the logistics industry and users of the port to get a first-hand understanding of how important the Port of Felixstowe is in facilitating UK trade with the rest of the world.
The event comes shortly after the opening of the port’s new North Rail Terminal, co-financed by the European Union Trans-European Transport Network (T-ENT), which will double rail capacity at the port, promote the use of rail for container freight, ease congestion on roads and reduce the environmental impact from HGVs.
The Port of Felixstowe handled a record 3.7 million TEU in 2012, representing over 40 percent of all containers moved through UK ports.
