Bristol’s Royal Portbury Dock has welcomed its longest-ever vessel – shipping line ACL’s Atlantic Conveyor. The container ship, which at 292 metres is just under the length of three football pitches, usually calls at Liverpool but diverted to Royal Portbury, owned by Bristol Port Company, due to lock closures at the Merseyside dock.
ACL needed an alternative berth to keep to its weekly schedule – and Royal Portbury, which was redeveloped in the 1970s to have the UK’s largest lock, was able to step in. The Atlantic Conveyor, built in 1985, has capacity for 1,850 containers and 1,000 cars.
ACL managing director Ian Higby said: “Keeping to our schedule is a key part of our promise to our customers so we are very pleased that the operation at Bristol Port has gone so smoothly. Bristol’s proven ability to handle large container ships and its excellent road and rail links are a great asset.”
Bristol Port Company chief executive Simon Bird added: “As expected, Atlantic Conveyor came in easily and the discharge went well with the vessel leaving as planned on the next tide.”
