Southampton Container Terminals (SCT) Adds Fith Berth Aimed at Feeder Vessels

Southampton Container Terminals Ltd (SCT) announced today (Tuesday 15 August 2006) that it plans to open a fifth berth to handle containers at the Port of  Southampton. The new berth will feature a dedicated 100-tonne mobile harbour crane and can be operated on a 24-hour, 7 days a week basis.

Berth 203, which is adjacent to the current four deep-water berths at SCT, will be

able to accommodate feeder vessels of up to 150 m long. This new facility, due to

be commissioned at the start of October, will enable SCT to maximise the use of the

deep-water berths for deep-sea vessels as well as allowing greater operational

flexibility for handling feeder vessels.

Commenting on the new development, Patrick Walters, Managing Director, SCT,

said:

“The most notable improvement in using the additional berth is that we can provide a berth on arrival for feeder vessels and offer the level of service they need to run their operations efficiently and to schedule. The days of conflicting priorities between mother vessel and feeder vessel will be over.

It is our goal to attract feeder operators back to Southampton and thus increase the number of coastal services linking Southampton with the UK’s east and west coasts, Ireland and continental Europe.”

Doug Morrison, Port Director, Associated British Ports’ (ABP) Port of Southampton,

added:

“We would like potential transhipment customers to consider ABP’s Port of

Southampton as a feeder-friendly port, able to offer the level of service they require for their customers. In developing this additional facility with SCT, we are helping to support the Government's policy to get freight off the UK roads."

Notes to Editors

1. DP World Southampton is the UK's second largest container terminal.
2. In 2007, DP World Southampton handled 1.9 million TEU - a 26% increase compared to 2006 (1.5 million TEU).
3. DP World is one of the largest marine terminal operators in the world, with 44 terminals and 13 new developments across 28 countries.
4. In 2007, DP World handled more than 43.3 million TEU across its portfolio - an increase of 18% on 2006.

As at 1 March 2008