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Container Terminal
Container Terminal
 Western Docks: Expansion Plans (Drawing)
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During the 1960s, passenger traffic through Southampton declined
because travellers to America preferred to use quicker aircraft
services. Queen Mary completed her last crossing of
the Atlantic in 1967, followed within a week by Queen
Elizabeth. Faced with this decline, the government set up an
enquiry into the future of British ports. The report said that
Southampton could be developed as a container port because the port
had deep water, available land and good road and rail connections.
Plans were drawn up in 1965 for a £60 million extension of the
Western Docks to handle containers and the ships that carried them.
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Encounter Bay: Container Ship
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Extra quays were built west of King George V dry-dock on mudland
reclaimed from the River Test. Dredging work on the site started in
February 1967. The first phase, the 900 ft (270 m) berth 201, was
opened for business in October 1968. This quay was soon doubled in
length to create another berth.
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Avesta: Vehicle Carrier
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As more container companies chose Southampton as their main UK
port, extra berths were built to the west to create the Prince
Charles Container Terminal. They were gradually brought into use in
the 1970s. A new Maritime Freightliner terminal was opened next to
the container berths to handle the increasing traffic. Storage
space for cars and vans about to be exported has also been
provided.
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Docks: Stack-A-Truck
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Today, special container trains, operating from the two terminals
next to the port, run to major distribution centres across the UK.
As well as open-air space for 13,500 containers, a depot offers
space for storage and cargo inspection. Modern container ships
arrive at Southampton from across the world, some able to carry
over 2500 containers. The terminal is now the second largest
container port in the UK and handles over half of all the UK's
container trade with East Asia.
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