Congestion at the Port of Felixstowe is reportedly sending major carriers' ships to London Gateway to keep them on schedule. Maersk Kimi, originally scheduled for Felixstowe, called at the Thames terminal on 23rd August, and Xin Beijing, also originally due to call at Felixstowe, will be at Gateway on 28th August.
Felixstowe is presently working on extending its berths 8 and 9 quay by 190 metres, but this won't be in operation until the middle of next year. In the meantime, the port's customers are continuing to operate larger vessels, with Maersk Emma class vessels cascading to the port, and larger than existing ships from other carriers expected next year, too.
Incidentally, I'd be keen to see if anyone has an pictures from the Maersk Kimi or the upcoming Xin Beijing visits!