This is an important business win for the UK’s best performing terminal.
Britain’s only container terminal on the south coast will now receive three additional weekly sailings from the Grand Alliance on the America-Europe trade: The Gulf Atlantic Express (GAX), the Gulf Mexico Express (GMX) services and the Pacific Atlantic Express (PAX, also connecting with Asia and the US West Coast). This adds to the existing weekly North Atlantic Express service ATX of the Grand Alliance which has been calling at Southampton for many years.
The Grand Alliance said that its decision to move the three Transatlantic services to the south coast port was “in order to further improve the schedule reliability and to offer the best possible service”.
The decision is a vote of confidence in Southampton’s capabilities. Recently ranked the most productive port in Europe, and the number one performing container terminal in the UK by the Journal of Commerce (JOC), DP World Southampton was shown as having average shipside container moves per hour significantly higher than its nearest UK rival and it moves 36% of inland containers by rail, a higher modal share than any other UK terminal.
This is the third new business win for DP World Southampton this year. The terminal has earlier this year secured calls from the G6 Alliance ‘Loop 5’, connecting Southampton with South Korea and China, as well as from CMA CGM’s FEMEX service, connecting Southampton with Turkey, Greece and Morocco.
Chris Lewis, Managing Director, DP World Southampton said: “Southampton is able to offer a uniquely compelling package to shipping lines. Not only do we offer service levels which are among the highest in Europe but we offer the best inland connections for the UK as well. This mix is unique to Southampton and gives our customers a competitive advantage.
At the same time we are investing heavily to build on our service levels and further enhance our capabilities as part of a programme of continuous improvements. Here in Southampton we understand what shipping lines and cargo owners really want and pride ourselves not only on our productivity levels but also our customer service. It is this combination that has proved attractive to the Grand Alliance.”
Associated British Ports (ABP) is currently undertaking a £150m redevelopment project, which is enhancing the terminal’s infrastructure and will enable DP World Southampton to handle the largest container vessels afloat. Teamed with DP World Southampton’s market-leading performance, its proximity to the world’s main shipping lanes and its excellent road and rail connections the terminal provides an attractive offering for both today and long into the future.
The ABP £150m investment into Southampton’s facilities comprises a new 500m long deep berth due to open early next year (2014), designed to cater for the next generation of Ultra Large Container Vessels, four additional Liebherr super post panamax cranes and an extensive dredging program to ensure marine access of the deepest and largest vessels for the Port of Southampton.