Hutchison Port Holdings traces its roots back to 1866, when the Hongkong & Whampoa Dock Company was established as Registered Company Number 1 in Hong Kong. At that time, the Company was actively involved in shipbuilding and repair services.

In 1870, with an eye on expansion, the company acquired dock facilities in Hunghom and Tai Kok Tsui to provide cargo handling services.

In 1886, Meanwhile, half a world away, the Felixstowe Dock & Railway Company in the UK, the predecessor of the Port of Felixstowe, was establishing itself as an up and coming provider of maritime and rail services.

By 1888, the Hongkong & Whampoa Dock Company owned and operated the “largest dock in the East”, the Admiralty Dock. At 550ft the Admiralty Dock was capable of handling the largest vessels afloat at the time.

Still active in shipbuilding and repair, the Company in 1913 had built the largest Chinese ship ever to be listed on the prestigious Llyod's Register. The 'Ningshin' was an enormous 2,006 ton vessel.

By 1949 the Port of Hong Kong was ranked 10th largest port in the world and was quickly taking on importance as a strategic hub port in Asia.

By the mid 1950s the age of containerization had arrived. American Malcom McLean purchased a small tanker company, Pan Atlantic, and adapted two of its ships to carry 58 trailers each. The first of them, the Ideal X, sailed from Port Newark, in New York Harbor on 26 April 1956, a day that is universally recognised as the beginning of the modern container era. From that day onwards, containers, road chassis, and container-stacking ships revolutionised surface transportation.

In 1966, the Hong Kong government acknowledged the need to develop container handling facilities and earmarked the Kwai Chung District for the development of Hong Kong’s first large-scale container port.

In 1969, The Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Company (HWD) Hunghom dock converted a variety of ships into container vessels, most notably for the Orient Overseas Container Line. Facilities at Hunghom were extended with a 180 metre berth and 9,000 square metres of yard for handling container ships and cargo. This company traded under the name of Whampoa Terminals Limited.

In 1974, Hongkong International Terminals (HIT) was granted the right to develop Container Terminal 4 at Kwai Chung. The construction of this terminal involved a massive investment of HK$360 million dollars and the reclamation of 17 hectares of land.

By 1976 HIT was operating Container Terminal 4 and Container Terminal 2, which it acquired the same year.

With 252,000 containers handled in 1980, the Port of Felixstowe became the largest container port in the UK. In the following year, Dooley Terminal was completed and became fully operational. The terminal was part of a ￡32 million expansion plan to increase the Port’s capacity to 750,000 TEU a year.

By 1984, the Port of Felixstowe had implemented the UK’s first computerised Customs clearance system. The system was developed through close co-operation between the Port, customers and the UK government.

In 1985, HIT was granted the right to develop Container Terminal 6. In return, HIT relinquished Container Terminal 2 to Modern Terminals Limited.

In 1989, HIT's Container Terminal 6 was completed and Container Terminal 2 was handed over to Modern Terminals Limited. Built at a cost of nearly HK$1 billion, Container Terminal 6 is a 29-hectare container yard, incorporating three berths with a handling capacity of 1 million TEU.

In 1991, the completion of Container Terminal 7 gave HIT a handling capacity of 3.3 million TEU. A joint venture, COSCO-HIT, was formed to develop Container Terminal 8, and in the UK, HPH acquired the Port of Felixstowe for ￡80 million.

Also in the early 1990s, the Group entered into a number of joint ventures to expand its presence into mainland China. In 1992 this strategy led to the formation of Nanhai International Container Terminals, Zhuhai International Container Terminals (Jiuzhou) and Zhuhai International Container Terminals (Gaolan).

In 1993, Shanghai Container Terminals and Yantian International Container Terminals were formed as joint ventures with the authorities of Shanghai and Shenzhen respectively.

In 1994 in Hong Kong, Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) was formed to hold and manage the port and related interests of the diversified Hutchison Whampoa Limited. Hutchison Delta Ports was formed as HPH’s China river and coastal ports division, and HPH acquired a stake in Mid-Stream Holdings. The COSCO-HIT joint venture’s CT8 East became fully operational and HIT’s annual container throughput reached 4 million TEU. In China, a new joint venture led to the formation of Shantou International Container Terminals, and operations commenced at Zhuhai’s Jiuzhou and Gaolan ports.

In 1995, another new Chinese joint venture, Jiangmen International Container Terminals was formed and began operations. In the Caribbean, a joint venture with the Bahamian authorities resulted in the creation of the Freeport Harbour Company.

By 1996, HIT was offered rights to build and operate two berths in the Container Terminal 9 development. Also in the same year, HPH was awarded the concession to operate the Ports of Cristobal and Balboa in Panama, while in Myanmar, HPH acquired a stake in Myanmar International Terminals Thilawa.

In 1997, Freeport Container Port in the Bahamas officially openen.

HPH acquired Thamesport and Harwich International Port, both of which are located on the UK’s east coast.

Hongkong International Terminals signed the land grant for Container Terminal 9.

In South China, Guanlan Inland Container Depot (currently called Shenzhen Hutchison Inland Container Depots) was set up to facilitate the growth of import and export trade in the region.

HPH entered into a joint venture to operate Jakarta International Container Terminals in Indonesia.

HPH acquired a stake in Europe Container Terminals

HPH purchased a stake in KMT-Westports in Port Kiang, Malaysia.

HPH’s Panama Ports Company officially opened its container terminal at the Port of Balboa.

The acquisition of 10 new ports in Asia, Africa and the Americas established HPH in a number of markets with growth potential. HPH’s network of worldwide ports expanded to 29.

In Shenzhen, China, HPH signed official agreements to develop Phase III of Yantian International Container Terminals.

In February, HPH invested in new port projects in Korea. Hutchison Korea Terminals was formed to operate three new terminals: Hutchison Busan Container Terminal and Hutchison Gammon Container Terminal situated in Busan Port, and Hutchison Kwangyang Container Terminal located at Gwangyang Port. These acquisitions increased HPH’s worldwide network to 30 ports.

Shanghai Pudong International Container Terminals was established by the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Stevedoring Company, Hutchison Ports Pudong, COSCO Pacific (China) Investments, and Shanghai Investment Infrastructure Holdings.

HPH acquired a 51 percent stake in Lazaro Cardenas Terminals Portuaria de Contenedores in the port of Lazaro Carenas, Mexico.

The first berth of Container Terminal 9 was completed in Hongkong International Terminals in July.

Europe Container Terminals, an HPH subsidiary, acquired Hanno Terminal in the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Hongkong International Terminals surpassed the 80 million TEU milestone.

Shanghai Mingdong Container Terminals, a joint venture between HPH subsidiary Hutchison Ports Waigaoqiao and Shanghai International Port Group, was founded to operate a new container terminal at Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao Port.

The second berth at Container Terminal 9 of Hongkong International Terminals commenced operations.

HPH entered into an agreement with the Port Authority of Thailand to develop six container terminals at Chon Buri’s Laem Chabang Port. Hutchison Laemchabang Terminal was awarded a 30-year concession to build and operate the six new terminals at the deep-water port.

- In January, HPH and Ningbo Port Group signed an agreement to develop Phase II of Beilun Port.

- Following the acquisition of a majority stake in Wonly Obszar Gospodarczy, HPH’s new subsidiary in the port of Gdynia, Poland was officially named Gdynia Container Terminal in February.

- In March, HPH entered into agreements with a consortium led by the Alexandria Port Authority to build and operate the terminals at the ports of Alexandria and EI Dekheila in Egypt.

- In August, HPH was awarded a 30-year concession to build and operate a new ro-ro and general cargo terminal at the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand.

- HPH entered into an agreement in November to invest in and operate Oman International Container Terminal.

- In December, HPH signed a conditional agreement with Group Mestre of Spain to acquire a majority stake in Terminal Catalunya, a container terminal in the Port of Barcelona, Spain.

In the same month, HPH entered into a joint-venture agreement with Shanghai International Port Group, APM Terminals, COSCO and China Shipping Group to develop Phase II of Yangshan Deepwater Port.

Also in December, HPH announced the opening of Shanghai Mingdong Container Terminals at Waigaoqiao Phase V in Shanghai.

In June, the Barcelona Port Authority awarded Terminal Catalunya the concession to build and operate the new Prat Pier Container Terminal at the Port of Barcelona, Spain.

In the same month, Gdynia Container Terminal celebrated the official opening of Stage One operations at the Port of Gdynia, Poland.

Later that month, Hongkong International Terminals handled its 100 millionth TEU.

In January, Oman International Container Terminal celebrated the grand opening of its Terminal B, Phase I at the Port of Sohar, Oman.

In February, HPH and Huizhou Port Affairs Group Company signed a joint venture agreement to operate Huizhou Port International Container Terminal in Huizhou, China

One week later, HPH and Saigon Investment Construction & Commerce Company agreed to jointly build, develop and operate a new container terminal in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provine, Vietnam.

In March, Hongkong International Terminals donated HK$1 million to the Hong Kong Cancer Fund to help establish the new Cancer Patient Resource Centre (CPRC) at Princess Margaret Hospital and become its principal donor.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie welcomed HPH to Brisbane, Australia in April when he announced that the company was the preferred operator for the Port of Brisbane’s new container berths.

Also in April, Panama Ports Company celebrated 10 years of successful operations at the ports of Balboa and Cristobal.

In May, a consortium comprising Global Yatirim Holding, EIB Limas and HPH was selected to hold the concession rights to the Port of Izmir, Turkey.

Later that month, Xiamen International Container Terminals celebrated its 10th anniversary as it handled its 5 millionth TEU.

In August, HPH and Saigon Investment Construction & Commerce Company began the construction of Saigon International Terminals Vietnam.

In September, the new Alexandria and EI Dekheila facilities of Alexadria International Container Terminals commenced operations.

In October, Europe Container Terminals announced that the company had pledged ￡2.25 million over a period of three years to Erasmus Medical Center to support the Generation R research project. At the same time, the company its 40th anniversary.

In November, HPH and the Karachi Port Trust signed an agreement to build a new deepwater container terminal at Keamari Groyne in Karachi, Pakistan.

Two weeks later, the Phase I Expansion of Lazaro Cardenas Terminal Portuaria de Contenedores opened at the Port of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico.

In January, HPH entered into an agreement to lease two brand new container berths (Berths 11 and 12) from the Port of Brisbane Corporation in Brisbane, Australia.

In June, Hongkong International Terminals deployed 17 electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes, the first phase of a HK$140 million crane-electrification programme that will reduce emissions at Kwai Tsing Port.

In September, Port of Felixstowe started the Felixstowe South Reconfiguration project.

Also, in September, Europe Container Terminals celebrated the official opening of the Euromax Terminal.

In December, HPH signed a Heads of Agreement to develop Shenzhen Yantian East Port Phase I Container Terminal Project at Yantian Port.

Also in December, trial operations began at Phase II of Zhuhai International Container Terminals (Gaolan).

In the same month, HPH gained the right to operate the container terminal within Stockholm Free Port. The agreement also paved the way for HPH to develop a new container port at the Port of Nyn?shamn, Norvikudden.

In December, HPH has become a shareholder of Taranto Container Terminal S.P.A.

Later in the month, HPH has become the majority shareholder of Amsterdam Port Holdings (formerly known as Ceres Container Terminals Europe).

On 16th January, HPH and Huizhou Port Affairs Group Company Limited broke ground on two 50,000-tonne container berths at Huizhou Quanwan International Container Terminals (HQCT), which will soon become Huizhou Port’s first dedicated container terminal.

On 21st April, HIT’s information security management system (ISMS) was certified ISO/IEC 27001:2005-compliant by the British Standards Institution (BSI) Hong Kong.

On 27th May, JICT inaugurated the second stage of its Expansion Programme. On 10th December, JICT and International Finance Corporation, the member of the World Bank Group, signed a US$70 million Loan Agreement to partially fund a US$160 million expansion of JICT’s container terminal at Tanjung Priok Port, Indonesia’s largest port.

On 18th December, HPH Signed an agreement with Sydney Ports Corporation (SPC) that cleared the way for the development and operation of the Third Terminal (T3) at Port Botany, Australia.

In May, ECT in Rotterdam and inland terminal CCT in Moerdijk jointly established a new organisation, Moerdijk Container Terminals (MCT).

In June, a new barge terminal of Trimodal Container Terminal Venlo (TCT Venlo), a subsidiary of ECT, was officially opened.

In September, the Port of Gdynia Authority and Gdynia Container Terminal (GCT) signed an agreement to jointly develop a deepwater berth at the Bulgarskie Wharf of the Port of Gdynia.

SITV, located in the industrial Ba Ria Vung Tau Province, has officially commenced commercial operations in August 2010.

In January 2011, Hutchison Whampoa, the parent company of HPH, announced plans to spin off its deep-water container port businesses in Guangdong Province in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau and to list the units of Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPH Trust) on the Main Board of Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited. For more information on HPH Trust, please visit www.hphtrust.com

In August, the NSW Government announced that Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) has been appointed operator of the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre (ILC), which is located 18 kilometres from Port Botany.

In October, Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) has signed an agreement with Ajman Port Authority that paves the way for the development and operation of Ajman Port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).