ABP Humber said it signed a major trade deal for a new service at its Hull Container Terminal offering deep-sea connections to the rest of the world for the first time.

The agreement between ABP and Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping line, has been established “to open this crucial trading link to the Far East and beyond.”

The service begins in the new year into the 21-acre container terminal in Hull which has seen significant recent investment by ABP.

The weekly feeder vessels will see ABP handle about 12,000 containers per year.

“Unlocking this new trade gateway to the rest of the world is not only significant for the local economy, but also for the national and international economy,” said Simon Bird, ABP Humber Director.

“We’re proud to welcome the world’s largest container shipping line, Maersk, on board to the Hull Container Terminal, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership and building further trade links.

“We believe that the Humber Container Terminals – Hull and Immingham – are now the premier container destinations in the North of England, offering an unrivalled service.

“We have recently invested £50 million into these terminals including our two £10.5 million gantry cranes at the Hull Container Terminal.”

Hull Container Terminal has now doubled its container capacity to 240,000 containers per year.

Hull has gone from five sailings per week to a maximum of 16 sailings per week.

“We have recently opened up connections to Ghent, Rotterdam and Amsterdam and the fact that we now have a significant world-wide container line on board, proves that Hull Container Terminal is a powerhouse in its own right,” added Chris Vause, ABP Commercial Manager.

ABP said its four ports on the Humber — Grimsby, Goole, Immingham and Hull — handle around 17% of the UK’s seaborne trade.

Every year the ports handle £75 billion worth of trade, more than the Mersey, Tyne and Tees combined, ABP said.

Asbjorn Kops, Maersk’s Product Manager for UK & Ireland, said: “At Maersk, we continuously work on improving our local product offering, ensuring that our portfolio meets the expectations of our customers and helps them grow their business.

“Our short-sea connections complement our ocean services and connect our customers with markets around the world.”