Hutchison ports Archives

Port of Felixstowe welcomes The Premier Alliance

Posted on 23 July, 202529 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe has welcomed the first call by The Premier Alliance’s FE4 service between Asia and North Europe. The 24,000 TEU HMM Southampton arrived at the UK’s largest container port on 20 July 2025 from Singapore via the Cape of Good Hope.

The Premier Alliance was formed in February 2025 by Ocean Network Express (ONE), HMM (formerly Hyundai Merchant Marine) and Yang Ming. The alliance is a five-year extension of their previous partnership and aims to deliver a reliable and flexible service with expanded global coverage.

Commenting on the new service, Clemence Cheng, Executive Director of Hutchison Ports and Port of Felixstowe CEO, said: “The Port of Felixstowe has long been the leading UK port for trade with Asia and we are delighted to welcome the Premier Alliance to our roster of services. The FE4 service adds further options for shippers through Felixstowe and Felixstowe provides the Premier Alliance with first-class facilities as well as the deepest channel and quayside facilities in the UK. The unique extent of the deep-water access at Felixstowe is particularly important for services such as the FE4 which call at the UK as first port in Europe. They offer shippers the quickest transit times but arrive with the deepest drafts. Using Felixstowe avoids congestion and minimises delay.”

Peter Livey, HMM Managing Director (Great Britain), said: “We are proud to see the HMM Southampton inaugurate the FE4 service at the Port of Felixstowe. This marks a significant milestone in our commitment to delivering efficient and reliable shipping solutions across Asia and Europe. The FE4 service enhances our UK calling capabilities by offering faster transit times and first port access at Felixstowe. This additional call complements our existing UK port coverage and allows us to offer greater flexibility and resilience to our customers.”

Takahiro Kikuchi, Managing Director of Ocean Network Express (Europe) Ltd, said: “We are pleased to be offering a new UK port call at Felixstowe as part of our FE4 Asia-Europe service. This service, operated in partnership with the Premier Alliance, presents new opportunities to ONE and our customers. We look forward to successful collaboration with the Port of Felixstowe.”

Jack Wu, Managing Director of Yang Ming (UK) Ltd, said: “The Port of Felixstowe is the historical UK port of call for Yang Ming and we are delighted to be returning with the Premier Alliance updated FE4 loop. This allows us to provide an enhanced level of service scope, complementing our existing services. We look forward to working with the Port of Felixstowe in ensuring the highest quality of service to our customers.”

The full port rotation of the FE4 service is Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Le Havre, Algeciras, Singapore, Kaohsiung, Shanghai, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Yantian, Cai Mep, Singapore, Felixstowe.

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Green Light Shown For Rail Improvements at Port of Felixstowe

Port of Felixstowe Deepening Complete

Posted on 4 October, 2023 by Keith McKinley

The main approach channel and Berths 8&9 at Hutchison Ports’ Port of Felixstowe have been deepened to improve access for the world’s largest container ships.

The announcement was formally made today (4 October 2023) during the maiden call at the port of its namesake the OOCL Felixstowe, the latest in a series of 24,188 TEU mega container vessels operated by Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (“OOCL”).

The depth of the approach channel has been increased from 14.5 metres to 16 metres and Berths 8&9 increased from 16 metres to 18 metres below chart datum.

Commenting on the improvements, Robert Ashton, Chief Operating Officer of the Port of Felixstowe, said:
“The completion of this major dredging project reinforces Felixstowe’s position as one of Europe’s leading ports for the latest generation of mega vessels. It provides levels of access that are unequalled anywhere else in the UK. The dredge increases the maximum size of vessel we can handle, the berthing windows for the biggest vessels and the number of ultra-large vessels that can enter or leave the port on each high tide. Most importantly, it provides more flexibility and certainty of service for our customers in an industry where delays can be costly.

“It is entirely appropriate that the OOCL Felixstowe is one of the first ships to benefit from the deeper channel. The port has a very long-standing relationship with OOCL who first called here in the 1970s and we are honoured that they still entrust us with their business and have named their newest vessel after the port. It illustrates perfectly how we have developed together and both remain at the forefront of container shipping.”

The port’s Berths 6&7 were upgraded in 2022 to provide four berths capable of handling vessels of over 20,000 TEU capacity. The main navigation channel is managed by Harwich Haven Authority who appointed a joint venture of Dutch dredging contractors Royal Boskalis Westminster and Van Oord to undertake the £130m project.

Sarah West, Chief Executive of Harwich Haven Authority, said:
“The project to deepen the approach channel has been a significant financial investment by the Authority to ensure this vital UK gateway remains competitive and further safeguards the UK’s position as a major trading nation. The increased depth of the navigation channel together with the additional deep-water berths provides a compelling proposition for existing and future customers using the Port of Felixstowe. Extensive environmental studies were undertaken before any work could begin and we are pleased that, working with beneficial partners that include the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, we have been able to deliver – on time and to budget – a project that not only helps future-proof trade coming into the harbour but that also delivers significant environmental benefits.”

Paul Hesk, spokesperson for the Royal Boskalis Westminster – Van Oord joint venture, added: “We are proud to have successfully delivered this important project. Over 22 months we have used more than 20 different vessels to remove over 17.1 million cubic metres of material from the channel to improve access for some of the largest ships to be found anywhere in the world.”

100 More Autonomous Trucks for Felixstowe

Posted on 5 June, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Port of Felixstowe, part of the Hutchison Ports’ network, and Shanghai Westwell Technology Co. Ltd (Westwell) have signed an agreement for an additional 100 battery-powered autonomous Q-Trucks. The order follows a tender exercise and a thorough testing and evaluation process.

Hutchison Ports first introduced Westwell’s Q-Trucks at Terminal D in Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port in 2020. Fifteen Q-Trucks run in mixed mode operation with no separation from other traffic and have handled over 334,000 TEU (Twenty-feet Equivalent Unit) moves since their introduction.

Commenting on the agreement, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Felixstowe and Executive Director of Hutchison Ports, said:

“We are really excited to be working in partnership with Westwell to bring their ground-breaking and AI-driven technology to the Port of Felixstowe. Following the positive introduction of autonomous trucks at our terminal in Thailand and after thorough and successful testing in Felixstowe, we are rolling the system out in the U.K. The new trucks will increase the efficiency and operational consistency of our container handling as well as making a significant contribution to decarbonising operations at the port.”

Kenny Tan, Chairman of Westwell said:

“Hutchison Ports is a significant global partner for Westwell. As a world leading company in intelligent mass-logistics, Westwell, with its holistic solution in new energy autonomous driving, can help increase efficiency while reducing costs and delivering sustainable development options. The contract also marks a very important development of Westwell’s Ainergy Strategy to utilise AI applications to reduce energy consumption and facilitate decarbonisation. In this respect we will continue to explore opportunities to commercialise new developments with Hutchison Ports to equip global logistics for sustainable development.”

Delivery of the first autonomous trucks will commence in September 2023.

The new equipment is an essential element of the port’s decarbonisation strategy. Hutchison Ports has announced that its UK ports will achieve Scope 1 and Scope 2 net-zero by 2035 as part of the group’s global target established in line with the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) net-zero standard. In addition to the autonomous trucks, the port is investing in battery-powered conventional tractor units, replacing and re-engineering its yard cranes and purchasing electricity only from certified renewable sources.

The Port of Felixstowe is part of Freeport East, one of twelve Freeports being established in the UK. A key element of the Freeport East strategy is to boost innovation and investment. Following the signing ceremony for the autonomous trucks, Clemence Cheng and Kenny Tan held further discussions about bringing Westwell’s technology and expertise to the UK through the establishment of a new facility for Westwell within Freeport East.

Short Sea boost for London Thamesport

Posted on 23 January, 2023 by Keith McKinley

The range of short sea container services available from Hutchison Ports London Thamesport is to be increased following the announcement by Viasea Shipping of a new service from the South East UK port.

Commenting on the new sailing, Mark Taylor, Director, London Thamesport, said:
“London Thamesport is already well established as one of the leading short sea container ports in the South East of England and offers excellent service levels in both quayside and landside operations. We are delighted that Viasea Shipping has chosen Thamesport as its gateway into the region. The addition of their UK-Norway service complements the regular and reliable connections we already have to Northern and Southern Europe. We look forward to working with them over the coming years to increase the range, frequency and reliability of options for shippers.”

Morten Pettersen, Managing Director of Viasea said:
“The south of UK has significant volumes of import/export to Northern Europe and Baltic region. Adding a call at London Thamesport will allow us to assist UK shippers and receivers to reduce their reliance on the heavily congested Channel crossings and will allow greater predictability for deliveries. It will also offer a greener route reducing the distances travelled by road as we bring our vessel closer to the market in this region.”

Norwegian-owned Viasea Shipping, established in 2016, is an independent short sea operator connecting Norway with the UK, Europe and the Baltic states. The new service from London Thamesport will call weekly with connections to Moerdijk and the Norwegian ports of Oslo, Moss and Kristiansand, with onward connections into the Baltic and Poland.

Hutchison Ports London Thamesport is located on River Medway near London, in the heart of South East England, 35 miles from Central London. The terminal provides road and rail links to the UK’s important manufacturing and distribution centres and is ideally positioned to serve as a port of entry for UK-bound short-sea container traffic as well as infrastructure projects around London.
Hutchison Ports London Thamesport is a member of Hutchison Ports, the ports and related services division of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited. Hutchison Ports is the world’s leading port investor, developer and operator with a network of port operations in 51 ports spanning 25 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia. Over the years, Hutchison Ports has expanded into other logistics and transportation-related businesses, including cruise ship terminals, distribution centres, rail services and ship repair facilities.

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