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Felixstowe Port is the United Kingdom's busiest container port. Located in the Suffolk Coastal district on England's eastern shores, Felixstowe Port lies on the northeastern side of the River Orwell estuary across from Harwich Harbor. Less than 100 kilometers northeast of London, Felixstowe Port is England's closest port to Rotterdam and the Netherlands' Europort. It is also a yachting harbor and seaside resort. In 2001, over 29 thousand people called Felixstowe Port home. Port History Before the Normans arrived, a village called Walton stood on the site of today's Felixstowe Port. Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and Medieval fortifications had been constructed here to defend the country from its competitors to the east. By the time it was named Felixstowe, the town had been important for more than one thousand years. Felixstowe Port has been the site of many fortifications. In 1543, Henry VIII had two blockhouses constructed at Landguard Point; however, they deteriorated very quickly, and their guns were taken back to the Tower of London. A new fort was build there in 1628 made of earth supported by wood. In 1666, Charles II ordered repairs to the fort, having a brick wall built around the older fort. In 1667, over a thousand Dutch marines tried to capture Felixstowe Port's Landguard Fort. The Duke of York and his Maritime Regiment of Foot were able to drive the Dutch back and win the day. In 1717, a new brick fort was built on the site in Felixstowe Port. By 1744, it had been replaced with a pentagon-shaped brick fort whose walls still stand. In 1871, the fort was completely remodeled. The river battery and all internal buildings were demolished, and a seven-gun battery was built facing the river. By 1901, the fort was once again obsolete. New batteries were added in front of the fort facing the river and the sea. For most of the 20th Century, the fort was used as a barracks. In 1951 during the "Cold War," the fort held a control room. Felixstowe Port was not a major port until the late 19th Century. In 1874, Colonel George Tomline, a prominent Felixstowe Port landowner, founded the Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company. Both maritime commerce and tourism increased during that period. Late Victorians came to Felixstowe Port to impress their friends after the Felixstowe Railway station opened and the pier was built in 1905. A visit from the German royal family assured its position until the late 1930s. In late 1909, four members of Felixstowe Port's Rouse family died within a month of each other. At first, it was believed to have been food poisoning, but some people argued that the tragedy was brought about by the last bubonic plagueoutbreak in England. By the beginning of World War II, the pier at Felixstowe Port was one of the country's longest. It even had its own train. However, in wartime, it was demolished to prevent the enemy from landing there. The Italian air force bombed Felixstowe Port during the war; however, they were quickly overwhelmed by the RAF. After the war, the old pier was never repaired. The old Landguard Fort had been abandoned by the 1950s, and it had deteriorated considerably. In the 1980s, local citizens took a new cultural interest in the fort. In the late 1990s, it was repaired by English Heritage, and the Landguard Fort Trust has maintained it since then. Today, in addition to being open to the public, Landguard Fort is the site of military re-enactments, art exhibits, and some theater performances. The old Felixstowe Port pier had been neglected so long that, by the 1990s, it was closed to the public as a safety hazard. While proposals to rebuilt the pier and develop the waterfront near it have come up periodically over the years, no action has been taken to date. Port Commerce Created by an Act of Parliament, the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company owns and operates Felixstowe Port. However, the Dock and Railway Company is now owned by Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group, a subsidiary of the multi-national Hutchison Whampoa Limited, the world's leading port investor, developer, and operator. Has its own police force, fire department, and ambulance service. The main navigation channel to Felixstowe Port is dredged to 14.5 meters, and it has a maximum depth along the quay of 15 meters. Felixstowe Port can accommodate the world's latest deep-draft post-Panamax container vessels. It offers more than 2.3 kilometers of continuous quay and 25 ship-to-shore gantry cranes. Felixstowe Port handles some 35% of the United Kingdom's container traffic. In 2008, it was ranked as Europe's sixth busiest container port, and as the 28th busiest in the world. In 2007, Felixstowe Port handled a total of 3.3 million TEUs of containerized cargo. Felixstowe Port includes two major container terminals, Trinity and Landguard, and a roll-on/roll-off terminal. The Trinity Container Terminal is the biggest container-handling facility in the UK. Each terminal has its own railway terminal with direct connections to the single-track line to Ipswich which has recently been upgraded to handle larger containers. The port's road connections to the Midlands and to London are quite congested, and many containers are now distributed inland by rail. Felixstowe Port is now constructing the Felixstowe Focus South, the United Kingdom's first new deep-water container port. When the first phase of the new port comes on line in 2010, it will employ 600 people directly and create an additional 860 jobs in related industries. The second phase is scheduled to be completed by 2014. When finished, Felixstowe Focus South will increase total quay length in Felixstowe Port by almost 900 meters, giving a total quay of over 1.2 thousand meter. Together with Felixstowe Port's Trinity Terminal, the port will offer more than four kilometers of deep-water container facilities. By the time the project is completed, Felixstowe Port will have 750 meters of additional sea wall, contain 1285 meters of quay with alongside depth of 16 meters to accommodate the latest container vessels. Its approach channel will be 14.5 meters deep. Felixstowe Port will be equipped with 13 ship-to-shore gantry cranes and 50 RTGs. It will include storage yard capacity for 52.5 thousand TEUs at the New North Rail Terminal near Trinity Terminal. Cruising and Travel Boasting that it is the "Sun Spot of the East Coast," the Town of Felixstowe has almost 6.5 kilometers of seafront lined with a paved promenade lined with beautiful gardens and a sand-and-shingle beach. Felixstowe Port's glory days as a tourist resort have long gone, but it still offers a wonderful opportunity to enjoy some quiet relaxation by the sea. It offers a local museum, the Spa Pavilion Theatre, a nature reserve and bird observatory, and the Landguard Fort. Felixstowe Port's beach has won the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for four years now. Felixstowe Port also offers many seafront restaurant cafes. Felixstowe Ferry, part of the old town at the mouth of the River Deben, is a ferry that crosses the Orwell estuary to Bawdsey, a wonderful bird-watching area that has many walks and cafes serving delicious fish and chips. It's also a popular sailing refuge. On the opposite side of town is the Landguard Peninsular, a popular spot with locals and visitors to watch the ships moving to and from Felixstowe Port and Harwich Harbor. Temperatures in Felixstowe Port range from an average high of 17 °C (63 °F) in August to an average low of under 4 °C (39 °F) in January. In the middle of Felixstowe Port's industrialized dock area is a small wildlife haven around Landguard Fort. For centuries, Landguard Fort guarded the northern bank of the River Orwell, while the Redoubt at Harwich protected the harbor entrance. Fortifications first appeared there in 1543 at the order of Henry VIII, but today's fort was constructed in 1871. Landguard Fort is open to the public and lovingly maintained by the Landguard Fort Trust. | ||
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| Port Location: | Felixstowe | |
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| Port Name: | Felixstowe Port | |
| Port Authority: | Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited | |
| Address: | Tomline House The Dock Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 3SY United Kingdom | |
| Phone: | 44-1394-604500 | |
| Fax: | 44-1394-604949 | |
| 800 Number: | ||
| Email: | enquiries@fdrc.co.uk | |
| Web Site: | www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk | |
| Latitude: | 51° 57' 16" N | |
| Longitude: | 1° 18' 8" E | |
| UN/LOCODE: | GBFXT | |
| Port Type: | Seaport | |
| Port Size: | Large | |
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