The UK Port of Felixstowe and Danish ferry operator DFDS have agreed to increase roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) capacity at the port by over 40% through investment in a new linkspan, tractor units and additional trailer parking facilities.
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.”
…said Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer at the Port of Felixstowe and Executive Director, Hutchison Ports, commenting on the move.
The agreement extents the service at Felixstowe for another 15 years.
Felixstowe is a key gateway for roll-on/roll-off trade with Europe, while demand on DFDS’s service to Rotterdam has been growing steadily in the last years, Mr. Cheng further explained.
This investment is part of the Ro-Ro route between Felixstowe and Rotterdam. We are seeing increasing interest in both ro/ro and short sea container connections at all three of our UK ports as shippers seek to minimise risks to their supply chains resulting from Brexit.
On his turn, Niels Smedegaard, CEO & President of DFDS, said that this investment is likely to provide necessary capacity to continue supporting trade and business, even in a possible post-Brexit world.