According to the BBC, computer problems have caused major delays at Felixstowe, Britain’s biggest container port.
Hauliers have complained on social media of 16-hour tailbacks after a new IT system was introduced on Sunday.
A spokesman for Felixstowe port operator Hutchison Ports said the delays were caused by its “new terminal operating system”.
He said: “The new system is operating across our container and rail terminals after a successful migration of data on Sunday.”
The IT system is already in use at 25 Hutchison Ports around the world, the spokesman added.
“It will provide a stable, reliable and consistent level of performance for our customers for many years to come,” he said.
An update on the Port of Felixstowe’s website on June 14 stated: “We regret that some of our customers are experiencing delays at the Port of Felixstowe as we fine-tune our new port wide operating system, which integrates all vessel, haulage and rail operations. We have seen improvements in the last 24 hours to both quay side productivity and land side turn around times. As a result, we are continuing to handle near-normal levels of road vehicles per day at the port, although at a slower rate than our usual high standards.
“We expect further improvement will be made in the coming days as our dedicated staff work tirelessly round the clock supported by a team of experts from our Head Office. We are confident that any short term glitches will be resolved and that operations will soon return to normal.
“We have had great cooperation and support from our customers and port users who realise that this is an important system change that will deliver long term benefits for all users of the port, and this is greatly appreciated.
“We thank our customers for their understanding and patience and would like to apologise to any customers or port users who experienced delays.”
Source: BBC, Port of Felixstowe
