Sir Ben Ainslie, Britain’s greatest ever Olympic sailor, is to officially open Southampton’s £100m new container handling facility.
The four-times Olympic gold medallist and America’s Cup winner, dubbed the greatest sailor since Lord Nelson, will signal the start of operations with the loading of a golden container onto one of the world’s biggest ships, the CMA CGM Marco Polo.
It’s a momentous day in the 175-year history of the port, with the 500m long new quay, the first for nearly 20 years, designed to ensure Southampton can continue to handle the very biggest container ships afloat long into the future.
Sir Ben said: “As a local sailor who has spent many happy hours on Southampton Water, I know what a major contribution the port and the marine industry it supports makes to life in Hampshire. That’s why I’m proud to take part in such a momentous event as the opening of SCT5, something that promises to develop the regional economy and build on the port’s global reputation.”
DP World Southampton Managing Director Chris Lewis said: “This new quay is a major investment in the future of Southampton’s container operations and a huge vote of confidence in the team we have here to continue to deliver UK leading performance.”
DP World Southampton was only recently crowned the UK’s no.1 performing terminal for turning vessels around faster than any other UK port.
James Cooper, Chief Executive of Associated British Ports, which funded the £100m project, said: “It is fitting that a Hampshire hero, a local boy who has made the entire world sit up and take notice with his performances on the water, should be the one to open our facility. He has truly defined what the gold standard means.
“The Port of Southampton supports some 14,730 jobs and contributes around £1 billion to the economy every year. This new quay is vital to safeguard and allow us to grow the business.”
More than 300 visitors are expected to witness the opening, drawn from the marine industry, port staff, and local people.
The new berth, called SCT 5, is designed to handle the largest and deepest vessels in the world, including the new 18,000-teu ships that are currently coming into service. It is equipped with four new Liebherr super post panamax cranes capable of reaching across ships 24 containers wide. A fifth Liebherr crane has been relocated from elsewhere in the terminal to ensure the new berth has the capability to turn ships around quickly and efficiently. While the new berth has a depth alongside of 16 metres, it can be deepened to 17 metres to cater for any future growth in vessel size.
Southampton’s ability to cater for the largest container ships afloat is being further boosted by an ongoing dredging programme designed to deepen the main approach channel giving greater access and flexibility all year round.
SCT 5 will enhance Southampton’s position as the number one performing container terminal in the UK.
