The initial phase of Trinity Terminal opened in 1986, with subsequent phases opening in 1990, 1996 and, finally, in 2004. In 2007 the port completed the Trinity (Fork Park) Backlands development. This is the final phase of development within Trinity Terminal. Over the years, Trinity Terminal has built up an enviable reputation as one of the most efficient and high-tech container terminals in Europe.

Trinity Terminal continues to remain the largest container handling facility in the UK, and has one of Europe’s longest continuous quays, at 2,354 metres. The Terminal has seven deep-water berths, varying in depth from 11.6 metres to 15 metres alongside.

The Terminal is serviced by 24 ship-to-shore gantry cranes, 11 ultra post-Panamax, nine post-Panamax and four Panamax – with five new ultra post-Panamax cranes due for delivery in early 2008. These cranes, manufactured by Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC) in Shanghai, will be amongst the largest at the Port, with an outreach of 22-containers wide, and are equipped with twin lift capability, and heavy lift capacity of 85 tonnes.

With sufficient deep-water and the world’s largest container cranes, Trinity Terminal is able to accommodate the very latest generation of container ships – a position unrivalled by any other UK port.

The total developed area of Trinity Terminal stands at 124.3 hectares, with an ultimate capacity to handle 3.5 million TEUs per annum. On its own, the Terminal can regularly handle about 290,000 TEUs each month.

The container storage area is served by a fleet of 82 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, with a stacking capacity of 97,000 TEUs. The Port has invested heavily in an additional container storage area, the ‘Backlands’, which was brought on stream in mid-2007 to accommodate the increase in empty container volumes through the Port. This new empties park, covering 13.6 hectares, has the ability to store up to 18,000 TEUs, and means that the Port is able to consolidate a significant proportion of empty containers in one dedicated area at the back of the Terminal.

Trinity Terminal is the UK’s leading port for the transportation of refrigerated goods, and is equipped with 1285 reefer points to supply power to refrigerated containers. Eldapoint Limited are able to provide customers with a loaded reefer monitoring service upon request (for further details, see page 90).

The Terminal is served by a fleet of 190 internal movement vehicles (IMVs), including multi-trailer systems. The Port’s ‘Tug Scheduling System’ (TSS), which controls the allocation of work to each IMV, ensures that the deployment of these tractor units around the Terminal is fully optimised.