SOUTHAMPTON’S container terminal is celebrating the start of a new service that will bring some of the world’s biggest ships to the port.

The 86-hectare terminal is run by DP World Southampton, which says the innovation is big news for the city in every sense of the world.

Huge container ships will offer high street retailers and manufacturers some of the fastest transit times from Asia to the UK.

They will just 19 days to sail from their last port of call in Asia to Southampton.

The Maersk Line’s ironic blue Triple-E vessels, which started the trend for ultra-large container ships, will be among the ships calling at the port before the end of the year.

The Emma Maersk, the MSC Maya and the Mathilde Maersk are just weeks away from making their first visit to the city.

The Emma Maersk was the first in a series of eight new vessels bought by the AP Moller-Maersk Group.

She was launched in 2006 and at the time was the largest container ship ever built.

Capable of carrying about 1,400 more containers than any other vessel, she appeared in the 2008 TV documentary series Mighty Ships. The 1,302ft ship is longer than the Queen Mary 2.

Southampton is also preparing to welcome the brand new MSC Clara, which will visit the city for the first time in December.

DP World’s managing director, Chris Lewis, said: “Retailers depend on swift, slick, efficient and reliable supply chains to bring their goods from all over the world to the shopfloor.

“Competitive shipping transit times, combined with Southampton’s trademark service, productivity and reliability will provide any customer looking to import or export goods through Southampton with a competitive edge.”

Designed and built using state-of-the-art technology the Triple-E vessels were the first of the Ultra Large Container Ships (ULCS).

They enable the Maersk Line to deliver more goods while using less fuel, resulting in lower costs.

DP World owns more than 65 marine terminals across six continents, including new developments underway in India, Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Container handling is the company’s core business and generates more than 75-per-cent of its revenue.

In 2014, DP World handled 60 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units). The figure is expected to rise to more than 100 million TEU by 2020, in line with market demand.