News Release

16th August 2006

Thamesport Puts Customer Needs First


16-Aug-2006

After three years of rapid growth, Thamesport (London) Limited is pleased to announce the recent completion of a number of port enhancement projects. The development work will allow the Medway facility to further improve efficiency for all users.

A new paved ‘Haulier Waiting Area’ has doubled the current capacity available to waiting drivers, and comprises 14,200 square metres of floodlit, herringbone-style parking slots. Adding space for approximately 60 vehicles, the new waiting area will be used in conjunction with the ‘vehicle pager’ system currently employed at Thamesport. An extension to the Port’s car parking facilities has also been included in these works.

An additional container storage area of 2,400 square metres has been added to the Port’s dedicated rail terminal. Thamesport’s railhead currently handles four daily services, running to and from Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Coatbridge (Glasgow) and Doncaster.

This additional container storage capacity will improve the Port’s handling efficiency at the rail terminal by providing a ‘storage buffer’ for rail container exchange. It will also allow an opportunity for the Port to pre-pick a small number of containers for movement by rail at an earlier time than currently achieved.

Whilst the volume of full import containers handled at the Port has increased in recent years, so has the need to hold a larger number of empty containers at the Port. The construction of a further paved area (38,700 square metres), along with an additional aggregate-surfaced container storage yard (37,700 square metres), has allowed the Port to store an additional 8,000 TEUs of empty containers. The total capacity for storage of empty containers at Thamesport is now in excess of 12,000 TEUs.

Improvements are also planned at nearby Maritime Container Services (MCS), which is owned and operated by Thamesport. A new 9,500-square metre gate facility will soon replace the existing depot gate, through which containers enter MCS.

Chris Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, which owns Thamesport, commented:

“These new enhancements place Thamesport in an even stronger position to meet customer needs.

“Thamesport is currently the only UK port that has capacity to welcome new customers, and can offer a strategic position, deep water, and ample storage space. These important new developments at the Port will help to ensure that it stays at the head of its field for the foreseeable future.”