A new short-sea container service has been launched today (29 May 2018) from Hutchison Ports London Thamesport providing even more choice for shippers in the South of England.

The new service is operated by I-MOTION Shipping, an associate of Interface Terminal Ghent (ITG), and provides three sailings per week between the Kent port and Ghent in Belgium.

Commenting on the new service, Clemence Cheng, Executive Director Hutchison Ports, said “This new service represents the latest stage of development of London Thamesport as a major short-sea gateway for containerised traffic in the South of England. We are seeing increasing demand for short-sea container services and these additional sailings complement the existing services we have at the port. They will benefit from London Thamesport’s strategic location in the heart of the South-East and its connections through to the rest of the country.”

Johan De Raeve, Managing Director of I-MOTION Shipping, said  “We are providing a new service for our intermodal customers to allow them to access major markets and London Thamesport offers an ideal route to the largest economic region in the UK. We are committed to providing a unique and streamlined service with our partners to ensure cargo flows efficiently.”

I-MOTION Shipping has chartered two vessels, the 509 TEU BF Cartagena and the 340 TEU Marus, to provide fixed day weekly calls at London Thamesport on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.