Container haulage and off-dock storage in FelixstoweOff the quay. On your schedule.
We collect containers from Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton, keep them in the region’s largest off-dock store, right beside the Port of Felixstowe, and deliver them the day you’re ready.
- Container specialists since 1973
- ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001
- HMRC-approved ETSF
- 7,500+TEUof off-dock container storage in Felixstowe
- ¼milefrom our newest yard to the Port of Felixstowe
- 45tlifted by our reachstackers, the most in Felixstowe outside the port
- 1973the year we started moving containers
- 24/7haulage at Southampton and London Gateway
Free time
The port runs on its clock.
We run on yours.
Once your vessel discharges, the free time on the box starts running down. When it runs out, quay rent starts, and the scramble for booking slots and trucks begins. We take the box off the quay to our yard up the road and keep it until your warehouse is ready for it.
- Out of quay rentWe collect inside your free time and keep the box in our yard, so the port’s storage charges stop.
- No booking surcharge at our depotCollecting from our yard carries no VBS charge, so the next leg is cheaper to book.
- Time to clear customsUncleared full loads can wait under our ETSF approval, with duty and VAT deferred until the goods enter a customs procedure.
Free-time check
See when free time runs out, and how long the box needs a home.
Your shipping line or terminal sets this.
3free days after discharge
- Free time ends
- Thursday 15 October
- Days in our yard
- 4 days
Our plan: collect by Thursday 15 October, keep it in our yard for 4 days, then deliver on Monday 19 October.
A planning guide, not a quote. Free time and quay rent are set by your shipping line and the terminal, so check your arrival notice.
What we do
Everything between the quay and your door.
Five services from one Felixstowe team, so your container deals with one company from the quay to your door.
Container haulage from the UK’s busiest ports
Imports and exports to and from Felixstowe, London Gateway, Southampton and Tilbury, plus rail terminals and inland hubs. Our own planners book the slots, track the trucks and keep you posted.
- 20, 40 and 45 ft containers, loaded or empty
- Skeletal and sliding-bogie trailers, tippers, splitters and low-loaders
- Sidelifters for sites without a loading bay
- Drivers based at Felixstowe, Southampton and Tilbury
- Haulage running 24/7 at Southampton and London Gateway
Off-dock storage, a quarter of a mile from the quay
More than 7,500 TEU of space across our Felixstowe yards, including the six-acre site we added in January 2026. Loaded, empty and reefer boxes stay secure until you call them forward.
- Loaded and empty containers, and loaded reefers
- A customs-controlled Holding Centre for more than 1,600 loaded boxes
- CCTV, static guards, mesh fencing and alarms
- No booking surcharge to collect from our depot
- More storage at ABP’s West Bank Terminal in Ipswich
Unpacked, repacked and ready to go
When a box needs work before it moves on, it happens in our yard rather than on the quay, and it is ready to load the moment you call it forward.
- Devanning and repacking, including hand-ball devans
- Cross-docking onto onward transport
- Garment-on-hanger (GOH) de-rigging
- Storage for off-quay fumigation
- Containers made available for inspection
- Export packing and crating
Heavy, high and awkward
Over-height and overweight cargo, flat racks and open tops, handled from quay to site by our project cargo team.
- £400,000 of lifting kit added in 2023: a Timars spreader, modular multi-lift frames and an 18 t forklift
- Reachstackers lifting up to 45 t
- A 2,400 sq ft weatherproof canopy for cargo that can’t sit in the rain
- Crating and export packing for automotive and renewables cargo
Solar farms we have supported
- Keithick Solar Energy Parkplus 40 Trina Elementa storage units98MWp
- Sandon Brook39 BESS units49.9MWp
- Cornwell49.9MWp
- Harlesford49.9MWp
- Pentlow Hill24MWp
- Bicker Fen22.6MWp
Solar farms, delivered
Since 2025 our solar logistics team has stored panels and battery storage (BESS) units in Felixstowe and Ipswich and delivered them to UK solar farms, ready for the build programme.
- Off-dock storage for modules and BESS units
- Final-mile delivery to the farm
- Mobile panel testing
Where we work
Beside Felixstowe.
On call at the UK’s three biggest container ports.
Our yards sit next to the Port of Felixstowe, with drivers based at Southampton and Tilbury for London Gateway. Every weekday morning the Kemball Daily reports how each port is running.
- Our Felixstowe and Ipswich sites
- Ports we serve and driver bases
Felixstowe
Head office, the Holding Centre and our six-acre yard, beside the port.
- Head office: Clickett Hill Road, IP11 4BA
- Holding Centre: Clickett Hill Road, IP11 4AY
- Storage desk: 01394 366202
The Kemball Daily
From the bulletin, Friday 9 October 2026
- Road
- Live traffic reports are linked in the bulletin.
- Port
- No issues to report.
- Vessels
- Latest Felixstowe vessel schedules linked in the bulletin.
- Our depots
- The Holding Centre has room for laden storage, including uncleared full loads under our ETSF approval. Loaded reefer storage available.
- Bookings
- jkbookings@kemball.co.uk
- Weather
- No issues to report.
- Road
- Live traffic reports are linked in the bulletin.
- Port
- No issues to report.
- Vessels
- Latest Southampton vessel schedules linked in the bulletin.
- Our depots
- Haulage running 24/7.
- Bookings
- jkbookings@kemball.co.uk
- Weather
- No issues to report.
- Road
- Live traffic reports are linked in the bulletin.
- Port
- No issues to report.
- Vessels
- Latest London Gateway vessel schedules linked in the bulletin.
- Our depots
- Haulage running 24/7.
- Bookings
- jkbookings@kemball.co.uk
- Weather
- No issues to report.
Kit and standards
Built for containers, and nothing else.
On the road and in the yard
- Scania and Volvo tractor units, with 33 new trucks added in January 2024
- Dennison sliding-bogie skeletals for 20, 40 and 45 ft boxes
- Tippers, splitters, low-loaders and sidelifters
- Kalmar reachstackers lifting up to 45 t
- GPS tracking and in-cab communication
- Central planning, with slots booked at every port we serve
Certified, inspected, approved
- ISO 9001Quality management
- ISO 14001Environmental management
- ISO 45001Health and safety management
- ETSFHMRC-approved temporary storage
- Driver CPCApproved in-house training centre
We started working with James Kemball’s container storage depot in order to improve the efficiency of our warehouse operation. Since then, its organised, reliable and professional service, both operationally and communicatively, has been an invaluable asset to us.
The staff and services have been exemplary, 24 hour opening Monday to Friday is incredibly helpful, and the quick turnarounds have been invaluable for our business and our dedicated hauliers.
Since 1973
Fifty-three years on the container run.
Charles Reed started the company in Felixstowe in 1973, specialising in containers and skeletal trailers while container shipping was still new to Britain. The name came from the first names of two of his friends. There has never been a James Kemball, but there have been an awful lot of containers.
Today we are part of GB Global, a group of more than 100 businesses, and we still do one thing: move and look after containers, from the quay to your door.
- 1973
Charles Reed starts the company in Felixstowe, specialising in containers and skeletal trailers.
- 1997
We move to a 4.58-acre site beside Dock Gate 2 of the Port of Felixstowe.
- 2004
Japanese shipping line K Line buys the business, and our red cabs are matched to K Line’s corporate red.
- 2016
We join the Uniserve group, today GB Global.
- 2017
The Holding Centre opens: five acres, customs controlled, 1,600+ loaded boxes.
- 2023
£400,000 of new kit for out-of-gauge and project cargo. ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 in a single audit.
- 2024
33 new trucks join the fleet.
- 2025
Our solar and battery storage logistics team gets to work.
- 2026
A six-acre site bought from Freightliner takes our Felixstowe storage past 7,500 TEU.
Careers
Drive for a container specialist.
Class 1 drivers based at Felixstowe, Southampton or Tilbury. We also work with subcontractors and owner drivers.
- An enhanced pay deal and enhanced holiday pay
- A contributory pension
- Driver CPC training in house, at a reduced rate
- New, well-kept Volvo and Scania units
- Flexible shift patterns, with overtime available
FAQs
Questions we’re asked every week.
What is off-dock container storage?
It means taking a container off the port’s quay and keeping it in a yard nearby until it is needed. The box leaves the port inside its free time, so quay rent stops, and it can then be delivered when your warehouse is ready, unpacked in our yard, or held for export.
How close is your yard to the Port of Felixstowe?
Our newest Felixstowe yard, added in January 2026, is less than a quarter of a mile from the port. Our Holding Centre on Clickett Hill Road is less than a mile away. Together they hold more than 7,500 TEU.
Do you charge a booking surcharge to collect from your depot?
No. There is no VBS (vehicle booking system) surcharge to collect a box from our depot.
Can you store containers that haven’t cleared customs?
Yes. Our Felixstowe site is an approved External Temporary Storage Facility (ETSF), so uncleared full loads can wait with us before they enter a customs procedure or are re-exported. Duty and VAT are deferred until then, and you have time to arrange licences or documents before the full declaration.
Which ports do you collect from?
Felixstowe, London Gateway, Southampton and Tilbury, as well as rail terminals and inland hubs. Our drivers are based at Felixstowe, Southampton and Tilbury.
Which containers and trailers can you handle?
20, 40 and 45 ft boxes, high cubes, loaded reefers, flat racks and open tops. Our fleet runs sliding-bogie skeletals, tippers, splitters, low-loaders and sidelifters for sites without a loading bay.
Do you unpack and repack containers?
Yes. We devan and repack, including hand-ball devans, cross-dock onto onward transport, de-rig garments on hangers, hold containers for fumigation and make boxes available for inspection.
When are you open?
Our haulage runs 24/7 at Southampton and London Gateway. The Felixstowe Holding Centre works from 6am on Monday to 5am on Saturday. Call 01394 601 500 or email jkbookings@kemball.co.uk to book.
How do I get a price?
Use the quote form on this page, call 01394 601 500 or email info@kemball.co.uk. Tell us the container size, where it is coming from, where it is going and when, and whether it needs storage.
Get a quote
Tell us about the box.
Four short steps, about a minute. We’ll come back with a price and a plan.