What would the sale of the Port of Felixstowe mean?

Mark Ling, agency director for ICE Transport, in Ipswich, which specialises in global freight shipping for small and medium-sized businesses, said the sale was "very exciting news".

Mr Ling said MSC would "hopefully bring spark and drive and energy to the Port of Felixstowe and Ipswich area and its infrastructure, its highways and its rail because they will want to protect their investment".

He said he had been involved in global shipping for nearly 40 years and said Felixstowe "is a little bit like the port where time stood still, we've not seen major infrastructure upgrades since 1982".

That was the year the Orwell Bridge, which carries the nearby A14 over the River Orwell, was completed.

In November 2024, shipping giant Maersk announced it would no longer use the Port of Felixstowe for its larger vessels.

Mr Ling said that showed new investment was needed.

He said: "You need to be offering the very best from your port to make sure customers don't want to go elsewhere."