Last month the largest cargo ship in the world arrived in sleepy Suffolk. The MSC Oscar is the biggest vessel in the sea and it’s as long as the Shard is tall – that’s a quarter of a mile long which makes the Titanic look like a little dinghy. The MSC Oscar might not be as long as the previous record holder, CSCL Globe, but it has a larger capacity and can carry 19,224 containers. That’s enough to transport over 1.5 million washing machines.
The vessel (the largest in the ocean) is set to be housed temporarily at Felixstowe Port. It has just finished a journey from Wilhelmshaven, Germany and is set to travel to China via the Suez Canal.
One of the busiest Ports in the world
The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Port in England and one of the busiest in the world. The Port has been owned by a Honk Kong based investment holding company since 1991. Felixstowe receives over 40% of containerised trade in the UK. To give you an idea of how much business runs through the port – the second busiest port in the UK is Southampton yet they only handle over 1.5 million TEU’s (twenty-foot equivalent unit – a standard container equals two TEU’s) in comparison to Felixstowe’s 3.7 million.
The Materials Handling Environment
Running the biggest port in the UK clearly comes with its own set of unique problems. Chief of all is handling the logistics aspect. Felixstowe has at any time 3.7 TEU’s stored within its port and the average turnaround time for a container needs to be less than 38 minutes. That means that the vehicles used need to be specifically designed for the environment.
Felixstowe have been working closely with East Anglia based firm Fork Truck Direct to manufacture the Combilift SC3 Straddle carrier with the aim of generating a solution for their logistics problem. This model is designed specifically for working in a docking environment and as a result can work in incredibly narrow aisles which means that Felixstowe can achieve maximum storage which as a result improves productivity in the Port.
Logistical Swiss Army knife
Another interesting feature is that the Combilift SC3 can work on a variety of terrain. This is because the vehicle is designed so that it reduces the amount of ground pressure that is placed on the vehicle when it is fully loaded. This means that the SC3 is able to traverse anything from compacted stone to light concrete. This really opens up the potential of the straddle carrier as it won’t be limited by its environment.
The port is set for a bright future after being bought by Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-Shing, who plans to build over 33 acres of warehouse space. The proposed extension to the port will include a specialist ‘logistics park’ where we can expect to see the Combilift get plenty of use.
Fork Truck Direct specialise in the hire, sales, parts, and servicing of forklift trucks - a long established, independent forklift truck company that has been providing materials handling equipment to industry across East Anglia, London and the South East since 1995.
The vessel (the largest in the ocean) is set to be housed temporarily at Felixstowe Port. It has just finished a journey from Wilhelmshaven, Germany and is set to travel to China via the Suez Canal.
One of the busiest Ports in the world
The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Port in England and one of the busiest in the world. The Port has been owned by a Honk Kong based investment holding company since 1991. Felixstowe receives over 40% of containerised trade in the UK. To give you an idea of how much business runs through the port – the second busiest port in the UK is Southampton yet they only handle over 1.5 million TEU’s (twenty-foot equivalent unit – a standard container equals two TEU’s) in comparison to Felixstowe’s 3.7 million.
The Materials Handling Environment
Running the biggest port in the UK clearly comes with its own set of unique problems. Chief of all is handling the logistics aspect. Felixstowe has at any time 3.7 TEU’s stored within its port and the average turnaround time for a container needs to be less than 38 minutes. That means that the vehicles used need to be specifically designed for the environment.
Felixstowe have been working closely with East Anglia based firm Fork Truck Direct to manufacture the Combilift SC3 Straddle carrier with the aim of generating a solution for their logistics problem. This model is designed specifically for working in a docking environment and as a result can work in incredibly narrow aisles which means that Felixstowe can achieve maximum storage which as a result improves productivity in the Port.
Logistical Swiss Army knife
Another interesting feature is that the Combilift SC3 can work on a variety of terrain. This is because the vehicle is designed so that it reduces the amount of ground pressure that is placed on the vehicle when it is fully loaded. This means that the SC3 is able to traverse anything from compacted stone to light concrete. This really opens up the potential of the straddle carrier as it won’t be limited by its environment.
The port is set for a bright future after being bought by Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-Shing, who plans to build over 33 acres of warehouse space. The proposed extension to the port will include a specialist ‘logistics park’ where we can expect to see the Combilift get plenty of use.
Fork Truck Direct specialise in the hire, sales, parts, and servicing of forklift trucks - a long established, independent forklift truck company that has been providing materials handling equipment to industry across East Anglia, London and the South East since 1995.
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