DP World Southampton has been officially crowned Global Operator of the Year 2014 at an international award ceremony.

Regarded as the Oscars of the shipping and maritime industry this is the latest award to be heaped on the operator of Southamp-ton Container Terminal in the Western Docks.

A spokesman for the judges at the Lloyd’s List Global Awards said: “DP World Southampton has positioned itself at the forefront of the Northern European market as a leader in productivity.

“Our panel of judges were won over by a catalogue of success stories ranging from well executed investments and cost saving strategies to a market leading reputation for customer service and efficiency.”

The present lead up to Christmas is the busiest time of the year for the terminal with dockside activity around the clock.

Today the terminal’s workforce is handling three container vessels, Monte Rosa, Hyundai Ambition and the huge 175,000 ton CMA CGM Jules Verne.

Earlier this year DP World Southampton opened its new berth (SCT5) designed to handle the largest and deepest vessels in the world, including the new 18,000 container unit ships, which are currently coming into service. It is equipped with four new Liebherr super post panamax cranes capable of reaching across ships 24 containers wide and a fifth Liebherr crane has been relocated from elsewhere in the terminal to ensure the new berth has the capability to turn ships around quickly and efficiently. While the new berth has a depth alongside of 16 metres, it can be deepened to 17 metres to cater for any future growth in vessel size.

Associated British Ports (ABP), as the port owner and Harbour Authority, will have invested a total of £100 million in the construction of the new berth, cranes and main channel dredge to ensure that Southampton remains at the forefront of the container industry in the UK.

Southampton’s container terminal was up against some stiff competition, including APM Terminals owned by the A P Moller-Maersk Group.

The award comes after Southampton was named the UK’s number one performing container terminal for the second year in a row by independent researcher JOC.com. Chris Lewis, managing director, DP World Southampton, said, “It is fantastic to have won this award, which is the result of a great team effort.

“I am extremely proud of the team here in Southampton who are dedicated and work hard to ensure we consistently deliver high levels of customer service. It also recognises the partnership we have with our customers, creating win-win opportunities to improve our service levels.”