The 20,568 TEU container ship Mumbai Maersk has set a new record for the deepest draft vessel to call at Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe.
The vessel, deployed on Maersk Line’s AE10 service between Europe and Asia, arrived on 11 November from Bremerhaven, Germany to the UK port with a draft of 16.8 metres and sailed 24 hours later with a draft of 17 metres.
The record was set just four weeks after the UK’s largest container port announced the completion of a GB£130 million (US$160 million) project to deepen the approaches to the port and its main container berths.
The depth of the approach channel was increased from 14.5 metres to 16 metres and Berths 8&9 increased from 16 to 18 metres below chart datum.
Commenting on the improvements, Robert Ashton, chief operating officer at the Port of Felixstowe, said, “There has been a steady increase in recent years in the number of the latest generation of mega-vessels serving the main shipping route into Europe. The Port of Felixstowe is the best located UK port for these huge ships and, working with our partners at Harwich Haven Authority, we deepened the main approach channel and Berths 8&9 to cement further that advantage.”
He added, “The deeper channel provides a level of access matched nowhere else in the country. It not only allows deeper vessels to call but also more ultra-large ships to be handled on each tide. With a short channel, close to the pilot station and ports of North Europe it is better for service, cutting emissions and reducing costs.”
The port’s Berths 6&7 were upgraded in 2022 to provide four berths capable of handling the latest 24,000 TEU capacity vessels.
Sarah West, chief executive of Harwich Haven Authority, which has responsibility for the main approach channel and oversaw the recent dredging project, stated, “The deepening of the approach channel was both a significant technical challenge and a major financial investment for the Authority. 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.”