Port of Felixstowe hosts one of the world’s deepest container ships
15/11/2023 - Port of Felixstowe
A new milestone has been achieved at the Port of Felixstowe as a container ship establishes a record for the deepest draft. The Mumbai Maersk made its entrance into the port on November 11 with an initial draft of 16.8 meters (55.12 feet), and within 24 hours of departure, the draft increased to 17 meters.
This achievement comes just four weeks after the completion of a £130 million project aimed at deepening the port’s approaches. The Mumbai Maersk, boasting a capacity of 20,568 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units), arrived from Bremerhaven, Germany, and set sail for Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia on the following Sunday.
The project involved augmenting the depth of the approach channel from 14.5 meters (47.6 feet) to 16 meters (52.5 feet), and berths eight and nine were deepened from 16 meters (52.5 feet) to 18 meters (59 feet). Robert Ashton, the chief operating officer at the port, emphasised that the deeper channel provides unparalleled access not found elsewhere in the country.
Robert Ashton, chief operating officer at the port, said: “The deeper channel provides a level of access matched nowhere else in the country.”
Sarah West, chief executive of Harwich Haven Authority, which has responsibility for the main approach channel, said the project was a “significant technical challenge”.
“We were delighted with the outcome and are hugely encouraged to see that it is already paying dividends. Harwich Haven and the Port of Felixstowe are the main gateway for UK containerised trade and by working together, we will ensure we continue to offer the right facilities and highest levels of service to our mutual customers.”
Photo Credit: Hutchinson Ports Ltd.
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