Heavy winds were the main cause of the closures.
The Orwell Bridge was closed from 2pm until about 5pm, and the Port of Felixstowe was closed from 10am until late last night.
Lloyd’s Loading List.com spoke to a source at the port who said of the closures: “It did affect us.”
“We spent an extra two hours trying to get out and an extra two to three hours getting back.
“The closing of the port affected us more than the Orwell Bridge.”
When asked if the adverse weather had cost them much, our source replied: “Yes, very much so.
“The port closing due to high winds has affected us considerably financially.
“We couldn’t get our trucks out of the yard. The impact was 30 vehicles standing.”
The pessimistic weather forecasts are set to continue, creating more problems at the Port of Felixstowe and freight travelling through.
Our source said there is no way around the problem when the port is closed.
“The port is where the boxes are, and when the port is closed we can’t get onto the port to get the boxes.
“The port is open today (Thursday 13 February) but it is anticipated it will be closed tomorrow (Friday) from 10am until 10am Sunday.
“We have been warned of gusts of 95mph.
“Friday night and Saturday day are expected to be the worst.
“We can’t pre-mail boxes for Monday.
“As we can’t work over the weekend it is still affecting our business.”
With the wet and windy weather set to continue, the freight businesses working out of Felixstowe have a tough few weeks ahead.
Flooding in low-lying areas and strong gusts, particularly on the west coast of the UK, have affected deliveries to and from the UK.
The worst affected areas are Somerset, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset on the southwest coast, as well as areas further inland such as Oxford.
FedEx announced that severe weather conditions and strong gusting winds have affected outbound flight and ground operations in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
“As a result, we have had to make adjustments to our flight schedule for outbound intra-European shipments.
“In the UK there has been disruption to our ground transportation network caused by closures of major roads in the north west of England.
“Customers may therefore experience some delivery service delays.”
Destruction to road infrastructure is hitting local economies hard.
Flood damage to two main roads in Oxford cost more than £40 million, and caused delays to crucial export trade.
Vice-President Operations UK & Ireland, FedEx Express & FedEx UK Ltd Trevor Hoyle commented: “We sympathise deeply with those affected by the floods currently occurring in large parts of the UK.
“At FedEx, we go to great lengths to achieve secure delivery, but if extreme conditions make this impossible, we endeavour to contact the recipient or the shipper to agree a specific course of action.
“Depending on the contents, we may be able to hold a package back at our depots for delivery at a more appropriate time.
“The welfare of our team members and customers is paramount and safety always comes first, to this end we continually review and implement our plans.”
“The FedEx Meteorology team, based in Memphis, monitors weather around the globe to deliver crucial contingency planning.
“FedEx also has site-specific severe weather plans in place setting out what equipment is required to effectively deal with the situation at hand.
“For example, every depot in a remote or high-risk area has access to a 4x4 vehicle to support safe deliveries in challenging circumstances.”
A spokesman for Eurofreight said: “We haven’t really been affected by the weather.
“We still have regular imports and shipments.”
Rail freight has been hit hard by the ruthless weather, causing delays across much of the UK.
Spokesperson for Freightliner Limited Ryan De’ath told Lloyd’s Loading List.com: “Violent storms hit the south coast and moved steadily north, affecting many planned freight service routes from Southampton that move through the midlands and into the north of the UK.
“Approximately 70% of our services were affected by the weather in these areas over the last 48 hours.
“Although the Port of Felixstowe rail terminals were closed due to the high winds, Freightliner routes through the eastern part of the country were largely unaffected by the weather.
“A number of services have been cancelled due to blockages on key routes and delays are also ongoing as further poor weather is expected to continue.
“Freightliner is working hard to keep customers aware of such delays and is working with industry partners to return services to usual in a timely fashion.”
Emergency services prepare for strong winds expected to hit Merseyside
Emergency services are working to prepare for strong winds expected to hit Merseyside this afternoon.
Merseyside Police said it was working with agencies including councils, the fire service, ambulance crews and the Merseytravel to ensure public safety.
A force spokesman said: "Winds are predicted to increase from about 4pm this afternoon and are expected to last until approximately 10pm, with a potential for disruption on highways and near to coastal areas.
"The force would like to reassure the public that together with partner agencies, there are tried and tested contingency plans in place for extreme weather conditions. Those plans have been implemented today and partner agencies will respond appropriately to all emergency calls and ensure recovery plans are in place to return to a state of normality as soon as possible."
The 10.30pm Stena Line ferry service from Liverpool to Belfast has been cancelled.
Delays are also possible on the P and O Irish Sea between Liverpool and Dublin due to adverse weather conditions.
The Port of Liverpool Police has confirmed the Seaforth container terminal was closed because of the bad weather.