New Belgium container connection bolsters Port of Hull
A brand new service of three sailings a week between Belgium and Hull is being announced today which follows on from significant investment in the Humber Container Terminals, the company said in its press release.
These additional Ghent to Hull services will bring an extra 30,000 containers per year through the Port of Hull – the third largest short sea container port on the east coast.
New Ghent based I-Motion Shipping will establish the service from Monday, 28th May arriving on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the Hull Container Terminal. The 100 metre MV Cartagena will be the first to call at the Port of Hull.
ABP Humber Ports Director, Simon Bird, said: “Today’s announcement is a further vote of confidence in our Humber Ports. In 2017 ABP took the decision to invest £50 million in our container terminals in the Humber which influenced I-Motion’s decision to come to Hull Container Terminal. This new business arrives on the back of the new additional sailings between Amsterdam and Hull that was announced earlier in the year.”
Christopher Vause, ABP Humber Commercial Manager, added: “I-Motion’s new container service demonstrates there is a clear market demand for more short sea connectivity from Belgium to Hull and our recent investments ensure we are well positioned to deal with this growing demand.”
Filip Slock, Managing Director of I-MOTION Shipping, said: “We are supporting our intermodal customers by ensuring they’re primarily located to suitable markets. Interface Terminal Ghent offers a unique and streamlined service to ensure cargo flows efficiently.”
Container business on the Humber is booming with an increase of 23% in the last year. In April The Port of Hull welcomed two ship-to-shore £10.5 million cranes. This enabled the terminal to handle double the capacity of containers – some 400,000 per year.
ABP’s four ports on the Humber (Grimsby, Goole, Immingham and Hull) handle around 17% of all of the UK’s seaborne trade. Every year the ports handle £75 billion worth of trade, more than the Mersey, Tyne and Tees combined.