A History of Felixstowe Port Shipping

About Felixstowe Port

Located on the eastern coast of England, Felixstowe is one of the largest and busiest container ports in the world. Felixstowe is one of Europe’s most important ports—handling millions of tonnes worth of cargo every year and providing employment opportunities for thousands upon thousands of people living in Suffolk. It’s also one of Britain’s oldest ports, having been in operation since 1866. Over time, Felixstowe has become a major hub for shipping goods both domestically and internationally.

So, what’s its story? How did this sleepy little town become such an important port? Let’s take a look at the history of Felixstowe shipping port.

The Beginnings

The history of Felixstowe shipping port began with a small dock that was built in 1866. The dock was connected to an embankment which allowed ships to navigate upriver to the harbour. At first, it only had two berths and could accommodate vessels up to 100 feet long. However, due to increasing demand for imports and exports, it soon became apparent that more berths were needed. In 1912, a third berth was added and another was constructed in 1927.

Felixstowe Port: The Expansion Years

By the 1950s, Felixstowe had emerged as a major player in international shipping traffic. In order to keep up with demand, the Port of Felixstowe began an ambitious expansion program which saw several new docks being built as well as thousands of acres of land reclaimed from the sea. This allowed them to accommodate larger vessels than ever before and increased their capacity by over 500%.

In 1982, construction began on Trinity Terminal which would eventually become one of Europe’s largest container terminals when it opened in 1987. Since then, further expansions have seen more docks being added as well as deeper channels being dredged so that even bigger ships can access the port. Today, Felixstowe has over 40 berths capable of accommodating some of the world’s largest vessels and handles around 5 million shipping containers each year!

Conclusion

It’s easy to forget just how much work has gone into making Felixstowe one of the world’s leading ports for international trade—but it hasn’t been easy! From humble beginnings in 1866 all the way through to today’s huge scale operations handling millions upon millions of containers each year—Felixstowe shipping port is an example of what can be achieved through hard work and dedication. Whether you’re looking for imports or exports from abroad or simply passing through on your way somewhere else—you can trust that your goods are safe at Felixstowe shipping port.