SOUTHAMPTON docks' record- breaking container trade is set for a further huge boost with confirmation that an international shipping giant is to make a multi-million pound investment in building three new super-vessels.

This consolidates Southampton Container Terminals' role as the UK's leading port for Far East container trade and is part of a significant growth in the port this year.

Mitsui OSK Lines, one of Southampton's most important container customers, are to replace three smaller vessels with a fleet of new ships almost twice the size of those that now regularly call in the city.

The three new ships will each be able to carry up to nearly 6,000 container units on the service linking Europe with Asia.

This is the second piece of good news for trade at Southampton Container Terminals, which this year is expected to report new high levels of through-put, in the last week.

The port of Southampton saw a throughput of almost 850,000 container units during 1998 but recent increased ship calls to the terminals has resulted in confident predictions of increased trade figures for this year.

The services now operating through Southampton more than make up for the previous lost volume of trade as a result of the move away from Southampton of two lines last year.

SCT has already seen the brand new container ship, Saudi Jeddah, the first in three new vessels for the National Shipping Corporation of Saudi Arabia, come alongside.

The new Mitsui OSK vessels will be designed to run at a maximum speed of 25 knots and will be built by a Japanese shipyard for delivery between March and September 2001.

Mitsui OSK will use the new ships to eventually replace regular visitors to the city, the vessels, Danube, Thames and Elbe, with only a capacity of around 3,500 container units, which will be re-deployed on different trade routes.

"This new tonnage will not only reinforce our service competitiveness in the Asia-Europe trade but will also contribute to the enhancement of other services as a result of more flexible fleet deployment options,'' said Mr Hiroyuki Sato, senior managing director of Mitsui OAK Lines' liner division.

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