Commenting on the call, Zhang Zhendong, Managing Director of China Shipping (UK) Agency Co Ltd said:
“The CSCL Globe is the largest ship ever to be operated by China Shipping and the first of five similar-sized vessels we will be introducing into our Asia Europe Express service this year. The Port of Felixstowe has been our UK port of call since we first began the service 16 years ago. It has grown with us and continues to be the best location from which to serve the crucially important UK market.”
Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Felixstowe, added: “We are delighted that China Shipping has chosen Felixstowe as CSCL Globe’s first port of call in Europe. Our relationship with China Shipping dates back to 1999 when their first vessel called at Felixstowe and we are honoured that they continue to make Felixstowe their UK port of call. We are the major gateway for trade between the UK and China and the CSCL Globe is a magnificent testimony to the importance of the Europe – Asia trade. We are continuing to expand our facilities and increase the number container cranes to handle these very large ships. Together with the unrivalled skill and experience of our dedicated workforce, this enables us to turn even the biggest container ships around as quickly as possible, providing first class service to our customers.”
The CSCL Globe was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea. At 400m long, she is the length of four football pitches and weighs as much as 14,500 London buses. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the UK. It benefits from being the closest UK container port to the main ports of Northern Europe and having direct marine access from the North Sea. As well as the Port of Felixstowe, the CSCL Globe will call at Rotterdam, Hamburg, Zeebrugge, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian and Port Kelang.