The Port of Felixstowe, Suffolk

This is our most commonly used port and is likely where your goods will be shipped to. The Port of Felixstowe is Britain’s largest and busiest container port and one of the biggest in Europe. This is usually where we would send your less than a container (LCL) shipments from Asia. Based part way up England’s North Sea coastline, it’s also ideally situated to distribute your goods wherever you need them. 

It handles the equivalent of 3.5 million 20ft containers every year and offers some of the deepest waters close to the open sea of any port in Europe, running services to and from 365 ports across the globe.

The Port of Southampton, Hampshire

If you are based in the south of England whilst importing FCLs then Southampton is a good choice, thereby saving haulage costs. It can also be used for less than container loads (LCLs) if there’s a good service from your supplier’s nearest port in Asia. It is the UK’s second largest container terminal, handling over TEUs every year. 

The Port of Tilbury, Essex

This port is most commonly used to import goods from America, Australia, and the Middle East. The Port of Tilbury runs Europe’s largest terminal for refrigerated containers, the London Container Terminal. It is now in competition with the new London Gateway, which is expected to become one of Britain’s main ports whilst being situated only a few miles along the bank of the River Thames.

The Port of Grangemouth, Scotland

Grangemouth is the largest container port in Scotland, laying midway between Glasgow and Edinburgh – at the centre of the Scottish industrial sector. The port is the main container terminal for Scotland, handling about 150,000 containers a year, with connections to the national motorway network and the railway due to being served by the M9.

Whilst using this port may extend the transit time by a few days, you can potentially save hundreds of pounds when importing full containers to Scotland thanks to its location – perfect if you are new to importing and have a tight budget.

London Gateway Port, London

Situated on the River Thames, this port is ideally positioned on the edge of London and can completely streamline your supply chain.

Offering the largest logistics park in Europe, they’re renowned for their handling of high volumes of perishable and otherwise time-sensitive goods due to their fast ship-to-shop times. London Gateway’s base is nearer to 78% of the UK Market in comparison to the Port of Felixstowe and is just a 10 minute drive from the M25, meaning you can save on haulage costs.

Alternative ports

Other ports can be used, such as Liverpool, which is expected to expand over the next few years. However, they won’t have vessels coming regularly from the major ports in Asia, meaning that it will be more expensive to have items routed there and longer travel times. We would advise caution if your supplier looks to send your products to anywhere other than Felixstowe, Southampton, or London. If you would like to find out more about which port we would use for your shipment, give us a call on 01375 800800.