A SHIPPING company is to become the first full-time tenant at a recently-opened container terminal in Teesport.

Containerships has agreed a five-year contract with PD Teesport, the company that operates the docks, to become the first resident shipping line at Teesport Container Terminal 2.

The shipping line's decision to move in has come as a result of high levels of productivity, with about 50 container moves an hour, and the fast turnaround of road transport at the port, averaging less than 30 minutes a vehicle.

Charles Patton, managing director of Containerships UK, said: "The prospect of working with a speedy vessel turnaround at a deep water facility, and greater outreach of the new cranes for container handling, is highly attractive to us."

David Robinson, managing director of PD Teesport, said: "Containerships' decision to move all their operations to Terminal 2 further cements our long working relationship, which has been running for 30 years.

"The new terminal is proving itself to be one of the most efficient terminals in the UK, and we are confident that it is only a matter of time before it also becomes one of the most popular among importers and exporters."

Containerships calls twice weekly at Teesport, with container movements from Helsinki and St Petersburg.