The idea itself, of course, was and is not really new – the shift towards port-based logistics solutions based around unpacking, storing, adding value and distributing from the port is pretty much going back to how things used to be pre-containerisation, with warehouses built up around ports just as refineries were located nearby to take direct delivery of imported crude.
Fans of portcentric, or the one-stop-shop, say this approach can cut supply chain costs, reduce carbon output and improve flexibility and responsiveness to market demands.
But portcentric operations require portcentric space, something that is not always in plentiful supply. So the latest announcement by Hutchison Ports UK that it is launching a very significant warehousing and logistics development within the boundaries of the UK’s biggest container port is bound to attract interest.
The planned Felixstowe Logistics Park will see the development of 1.45m sq ft of warehousing on a 68-acre site, which has been created by assembling older haulage yards and warehousing and parcels of brownfield land.
“The new site that we are launching has the key advantage of being located within the port’s perimeter,” said Clemence Cheng, Felixstowe’s chief executive. “It is less than 100 m from Berths 8 & 9, where we handle the world’s largest container ships, and only 500 m from Trinity Terminal. Both terminals, with a combined throughput of over 4m teu per annum, can be accessed via internal roads, allowing customers to maximise the economics of ocean freight and portcentric logistics.”
He added: “The site is located adjacent to No. 1 Gate with immediate access to the A14 and very close to the port’s three rail terminals. With 60 freight train movements each day, this opens up a wide range of sustainable transport options.”
The logistics park announcement comes shortly after planning consent was granted to freight and logistics company Uniserve for its first “Super DC” [distribution centre] at Felixstowe – this 500,000 sq ft development will be 130 feet high, to accommodate three 320,000 sq ft mezzanine floors.
Meanwhile, the construction of a 190m extension to Felixstowe’s Berth 9 is due for completion in 2015.
Felixstowe will start the New Year with a bit of drama and has already issued a “Save the Date” alert. The world’s largest containership, the 19,000 teu CSCL Globe, is due to call on 7/8 January. “The arrival of this ship represents a first for the UK. It is important economically – the direct call recognises the scale of the UK economy,” said HPUK’s head of corporate affairs, Paul Davey.
Certainly, the CSCL Globe can expect headlines as well as a welcome on the quayside when she berths.
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