The 'feeder' containership Anna G which departed Dun Laoghaire Harbour following lengthly repairs was tracked by Afloat having arrived this morning to Felixstowe, the UK's biggest box-boat port, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 101m Anna G (3,992grt) is described as a 'feeder' containership with a carrying capacity of 509 TEU (twenty-foot equivelent unit) however such small ships ply a vital role in the overall global logistics supply-chain by loading/discharging containers for short-sea passages.

Feederships such as Anna G make containership transhipments by connecting to/from considerably larger ships that have travelled on ocean voyages linking continents.

For example, the giant 400m long OOCL Hong Kong (210,890grt) which too is currently berthed at the Suffolk port, had sailed from Singapore in Asia. The ship's next European port of call is Gdansk in Poland.

As previously reported on Afloat, when OOCL Hong Kong entered service in 2017, the G-class vessel was the largest ever containership built and the first to surpass the 21,000 TEU capacity threshold.

The shipowners of Anna G are the German operator Reederei Gerdes based in Haren. The family owned company operates 11 ships, however the ship which had been in Dun Laoghaire since mid-November, is the only containership as the rest of the fleet comprises of short-sea general cargoships.

As for OOCL Hong Kong, the giant ship's operator is Orient Overseas Container Line, commonly known as OOCL, which is a container shipping and logistics service company with headquarters located in Hong Kong, China. They have 59 vessels of different classes with capacity varying from 2,992 to 21,413 TEU.

The Port of Felixstowe, operated by Hutchinson Ports comprises of two quays, Trinity Quay where Anna G is berthed along with other containerships and to the east, Berths 8 & 9 where OOCL Hong Kong is alongside. These berths can handle the largest containerships in service. 

At the western end of Trinity Quay is where the River Orwell flows downriver from the Port of Ipswich from where Arklow Shipping's short-sea general cargoships and bulkers have down the decades traded. In particular in the transportation of agricultural products from farms in East Anglia.

#ports - One of Europe's largest container ports and the UK's biggest is the Port of Felixstowe which has taken delivery of its first remote-controlled Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes (RTGs).

Hutchinson Ports which operates the Suffolk port on the North Sea can handle the world's largest container ships. Among the leading major container shipping giants calling to the port which is pivotal to UK trade are operators CMA-CGM, Maersk Line (see related story) and MSC UK. In addition OOCL which operates the world's largest containerships with leadship OOCL Hong Kong (as Afloat pictured above) which serves the Ocean Alliance-Asia-Europe service.

The introduction of the RTG cranes to the Port of Felixstowe, follows the four electric-powered cranes built in China by ZPMC in Shanghai. They are the first of eight similar machines to be delivered over the next few weeks. The UK port also has two remote controlled ship-to-shore gantry cranes currently undergoing manual testing before being deployed in full remote mode.

The new RTGs will serve Berths 8&9 where an additional 18,000 TEU of container storage has been created to meet growing demand at the UK’s leading container port. The new cranes are electric-powered and capable of stacking containers 6-high to enable more efficient use to be made of the new yard area.

Commenting on the latest equipment, Robert Ashton, Operations Director at the Port of Felixstowe, said: “The new cranes represent an important step towards a greater degree of remote working at the Port of Felixstowe. Remote working will deliver benefits for both our employees and our customers.

“For the drivers, the ergonomics are much better than a traditional operation. The physical stress to a driver’s back, neck and shoulders will be significantly reduced and the vibrations experienced as cranes operate will be eliminated altogether. Operationally, we will be able to deploy equipment more dynamically to meet peaks in demand and locating operators, vessel controllers and supervisors closer to one another will lead to improvements in alignment and communication.”

Hutchison Ports is a leading port investor, developer and operator with a network of port operations in 51 ports spanning 26 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia. 

#ports - As Brexit looms and all the uncertainty, the Port of Felixstowe in England, has announced an agreement (see story: UK Government contract) with Danish ferry operator DFDS to increase its roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) capacity by over 40%.

According to a statement, reports Port Technology, the capacity boost will be achieved through investment in a new linkspan, tractor units and additional trailer parking facilities.

The Port of Felixstowe has been described as “key gateway” for ro/ro trade with Europe, and demand on DFDS’ service from the UK trade hub to Rotterdam has been growing year-on-year.

Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer at the Port of Felixstowe, commented: “The new contract includes a significant investment by Hutchison Ports replacing one of our existing ro/ro bridges with a modern floating linkspan capable of handling the latest generation of ro/ro vessels and creating over 300 additional trailer spaces for unaccompanied ro/ro traffic.”

To read more on this development click here

In additition to what are the UK's ports doing to prepare for Brexit? click this link to Port Technology's technical paper (download).

#NewMegaBerths - The major UK port of Felixstowe is where a significant new berth extension was opened by Dr Therese Coffey MP, Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.

The 190-metre extension at berth No. 9 increases the port’s capability to work two of the world’s largest containerships simultaneously. As previously reported in March, the massive MSC Oscar made a maiden call to the Essex port.

More than eighty ships of 18,000+TEU have already been handled at the port in 2015, confirming Felixstowe’s position as the port-of-choice for mega-ships in the UK.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Coffey said: “I am delighted to formally open this latest extension of the Port of Felixstowe. An ever increasing proportion of UK trade is moving on these huge container ships and UK ports need to provide the facilities they require.

He added, "Felixstowe was the first port in the UK to handle these vessels and this latest development will help ensure UK exports reach overseas markets in the most efficient way possible.”

Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Felixstowe and Managing Director of HPH Europe division, added: “The Berth 9 Extension represents the latest phase of development at the Port of Felixstowe. Our programme of continued investment has ensured that the UK remains a destination for direct calls by the latest generation of mega-ships.

“We are committed to ensuring we offer the best facilities and the highest possible levels of service and productivity to all our customers. The new facilities being opened today will help us deliver on this commitment and ensure that the Port of Felixstowe remains the Port of Britain.”

Berths 8&9 at the port were the first in the UK to handle the latest generation of giant container ships. The quay length of the port’s newest terminal is now 920 metres, and the total quay length in the port nearly 4,000 metres.

The port has acquired three new ship-to-shore gantry cranes to work on the extended terminal. The cranes are capable of working vessels with containers stacked 10-high, and 24-wide, on deck. There are now 10 cranes on Berths 8&9 and 36 in the port as a whole.

The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the UK, handling 44% of all UK container traffic. Its importance is recognised in the Government’s National Infrastructure plan which includes improvements to its road and rail connections as leading priorities for investment.