From jamie.goodwin@hullcc.gov.uk | Thursday 20 December 2018
An agreement with world’s largest container shipping line to establish connection to Far East and beyond.
A new service for ABP’s Hull Container Terminal will offer deep-sea connections to the rest of the world for the first time.
An agreement between ABP and Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping line, will open a crucial trading link to the Far East and beyond.
The service begins in the new year into the 21-acre container terminal in Hull, which has seen significant recent investment by ABP.
The weekly feeder vessels will see ABP handle about 240 boxes per week, equivalent to 12,000 containers per year.
Simon Bird, ABP Humber director, said: “Unlocking this new trade gateway to the rest of the world is not only significant for the local economy, but also for the national and international economy.
“We’re proud to welcome the world’s largest container shipping line, Maersk, on board to the Hull Container Terminal, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership and building further trade links.
“We believe that the Humber Container Terminals – Hull and Immingham – are now the premier container destinations in the North of England, offering an unrivalled service. We have recently invested £50 million into these terminals including our two £10.5 million gantry cranes at the Hull Container Terminal.”
The recent investment has helped the Hull Container Terminal go from strength to strength and it can now handle double its container capacity, some 240,000 containers per year. Furthermore, this year it has gone from five sailings per week to a maximum of 16 sailings per week, testament to the fact that Hull is increasingly becoming a premier container trade destination.
Chris Vause, ABP commercial manager, said: “We have recently opened up connections to Ghent, Rotterdam and Amsterdam and the fact that we now have a significant world-wide container line on board, proves that Hull Container Terminal is a powerhouse in its own right.”
ABP’s four ports on the Humber, in Grimsby, Goole, Immingham and Hull, handle about 17 per cent of all of the UK’s seaborne trade. Every year, the ports handle £75 billion worth of trade – more than the Mersey, Tyne and Tees combined.
