THE port of Southampton has tightened its grip on the UK's vehicle import and export trade with record breaking levels of business.
Cars worth billions of pounds now annually pass through the port on their way to all corners of the world with 82 per cent of Southampton's deep-sea traffic taking vehicles for export.
Latest figures released by Associated British Ports (ABP), owners and operators of Southampton Docks, reveal that three-quarters of a million cars were handled on the quayside last year, a dramatic rise of 16 per cent compared to 2003. Southampton is now the UK's leading centre for this important port sector and the fourth busiest vehicle import and export hub in Europe after Bremerhaven, Zeebrugge and Emden.
On average the vehicle trade has grown by ten per cent per annum in Southampton during the last six years. Last year saw a rapid acceleration in not, only the number of cars handled in the port, but also of heavy-wheeled vehicles as more and more shippers opt to use Southampton as a base.
Regular services by all the major roll-on/roll-off lines serve Australasia, the Far East, the Middle East, Africa, USA, South America as well as the Mediterranean and mainland Europe from Southampton.
Among the marques crossing the city's quayside are Jaguar, Honda, Land Rover, Ford, Nissan, Peugeot, BMW, Toyota and Renault.
The highly-specialised export service for the Rolls-Royce cars now manufactured at Goodwood, near Chichester, also uses Southampton to ship the luxury vehicles overseas.
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