Felixstowe expansion gets into full-swing

Port of Felixstowe’s owners, Hutchinson Ports (UK), has entrusted the work to VSBW Joint Venture, a consortium of VolkerStevin and Boskalis Westminster who will together be lead contractor to extend Berth 9 by 190m. The extension will increase the combined lengths of Berths 8 and 9 to 920m allowing greater flexibility as the port positions itself to handle increasingly large container ships now employed in the global trade routes. Boskalis Westminster’s 2013 built 4,500m3 hopper capacity TSHD Causeway commenced initial dredging operations in April in preparation for construction to begin this summer. The dredging element will involve removing 1 million m3 of material at the berth and approaches, enabling construction of a new steel-piled quay wall.

VSBW are now mobilising the resources required for construction of the tubular pile design quay, similar to existing Berths 8 and 9, construction allowing the water alongside to be dredged to 18m depth: work is scheduled for completion in mid-2015. The new extension will be equipped with three new ship-to-shore gantry cranes, each with a 25-container wide outreach.

Commenting on the project, Clemence Cheng, Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited Chief Executive Officer, said: “The scale of operations at the Port of Felixstowe already gives us the ability to berth more large container ships simultaneously than other ports in the UK. The new extension will increase the berthing permutations we can offer and continue to ensure that we turn our customers’ vessels around in the quickest possible time.

“Felixstowe’s location closest to the main shipping lanes and the ports of Northern Europe already saves our customers both time and money. Combined with the best road and rail connections to serve the UK, the new extension will further extend our advantage as the port-of-choice for deep-sea container ship operators.”

Felixstowe handles more than 3.4m TEU, and accommodates calls from over 4,000 ships annually. Around 33 shipping lines operate around 90 services to and from 365 ports around the world.