Containers

Container handling at Portico

As a deep water cargo terminal close to the main shipping channels, Portico is ideally positioned for handling containers from ship to shore and beyond. Our quays can handle vessels up to 230m long, ideally sized for a wide range of feeder sized container ships.

Located within Portsmouth International Port with direct access to the national motorway network, we’re the first choice for customers looking for an efficient and cost-effective container handling and stevedore service.

Our four mobile harbour cranes can efficiently load and unload container vessels. We have plenty of space for containers, which are safely managed and positioned by our fleet of Kalmar reach stackers.

SMS Towage, our towage partners, are available to attend ships with as little as two hours notice. This offers an unrivalled level of flexibility for customers who need a quick turnaround. If you need customs agency and freight forwarding services, our experienced in-house teams can take care of you.

Container shipping and handling

Portico can already offer a wide range of regional and international destinations for your containers.

Our weekly AEL service can take your containers direct to the Port of Antwerp, which is an ideal short sea alternative to the Dover straits. Antwerp has extensive multi-modal links; containers can then be moved on by rail, road or river across Europe. AEL also offer links with a wide range of destinations in West Africa.

If you need to move containers to the Caribbean, Geest Line vessels call at Portico weekly. They have fostered trade links between the UK and the Caribbean for more than 65 years, and today carries more cargo between Europe and the Windward and Leeward islands than any other shipping line.

We also offer a regular lo-lo container service to the Channel Islands, operated by Ferryspeed.

Our commercial team are also developing new routes all the time to increase the range of destinations we can offer.

Contact us to find out more

+44 (0)23 9289 0600

commercial.enquiries@porticoshipping.com