London Thamesport's growing reputation as a short-sea container hub has been enhanced with regular calls by Helsinki-based Containerships Ltd Oy.

Containerships chose the Kent port to re-establish a direct service from and to the southern part of the UK offering regular and fast connections with Germany, Finland, Russia and the Baltic States.

Simon Mullett, on behalf of London Thamesport, said:

"We are delighted that Containerships chose London Thamesport as the UK port for this service.  The improved service offers quicker transit times between the southern UK and Baltic ports including just three days to Lubeck and seven days to St Petersburg.

"With a location close to the M25 and a versatile and skilled workforce, London Thamesport is ideally placed as a regional base for a variety of cargo types.  In recent months we have handled increasing volumes of specialist cargoes in addition to our core container business."

London Thamesport can handle a variety of deep and shallow-drafted vessels carrying a broad range of cargoes including containers, break-bulk, ro-ro and project cargoes.  The efficient shipside operation, fast turnaround time of vessels and road vehicles allows London Thamesport to provide its customers with a cost-efficient service in the heart of south-east England.

Containership is a leading short sea end-to-end operator providing full service logistics from producer to consumer.  It is present in 21 countries and operates a fleet of 14 ships across the North and Baltic Seas as well as the Mediterranean.  Containerships services are designed to offer a competitive and environmentally friendly alternative to road transport through frequent departures and the use of 48-foot containers that offer the same loading capacity as road trailers.