PD Ports has welcomed one of the largest automotive vessel calls to Teesport in recent years, with 5,000 vehicles arriving from China as part of a major UK import operation for Chery Automotive.
The shipment includes vehicles from across the Chery portfolio, comprising Jaecoo and Chery models alongside the first 1,300 Lepas plug-in hybrid cars to be imported into the UK market.
The vessel call demonstrates Teesport’s capability to handle high-volume automotive imports and reinforces its strategic position as a gateway for vehicle distribution across the north of England and beyond.
The port benefits from lock-free access to the North Sea, deep-water berths capable of accommodating large vehicle carriers, established RoRo infrastructure, dedicated storage compounds and 24-hour security coverage from both port security teams and Teesport Harbour Police.
Strong road connectivity via the A19 and A1 corridors and key cross-Pennine routes provides effective onward distribution to dealer networks and consumers across the country.
Paul Foreman, CEO of PD Ports, described the vessel call as a significant milestone highlighting Teesport’s scale of infrastructure and team expertise, and expressed hope that this will be the first of many future calls as manufacturers seek efficient, resilient and strategically located UK gateways.
Catherine Zhu, Logistics Director of Omoda, Jaecoo and Chery UK, described the opening of the Teesport route as strategically important for UK operations, noting it will help relieve congestion at southern and western ports, improve delivery efficiency to northern dealer networks and provide logistics support for future UK manufacturing ambitions.
PD Ports has extensive automotive logistics experience at Teesport, having handled imports for a range of major manufacturers over several decades and managing more than 100,000 vehicles annually at its peak.
