Felixstowe
UN/LOCODE GBFXT · United Kingdom · Europe · SFK
Crew guide
Shore leave
Felixstowe is the UK's largest container port + one of Europe's busiest. Post-Brexit UK visa procedure applies — non-Commonwealth crew need a Seaman's Book + shore-leave permission from UK Border Force. Mission to Seafarers Felixstowe operates on-site.
Walking distance + transit
Felixstowe is a small town — the port terminals are within 10-15 minutes of the town centre by taxi. Ipswich is 20 minutes, Cambridge 90 minutes, London 90-120 minutes by train.
Essentials
- ATMs: Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds in Felixstowe town centre
- Money changers: airport arrivals + central London
- Hospital: Ipswich Hospital
- Prayer rooms: Ipswich Mosque; Felixstowe has limited options
- Halal food: limited in Felixstowe; better in Ipswich
- Supermarket: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda in Felixstowe town
- SIM card: EE, O2, Vodafone, Three at any shop or the airport
Seafarer tips
Do: verify Post-Brexit UK crew-shore-leave paperwork before requesting — rules changed in 2021. Don't: expect a lively town — Felixstowe is genuinely a small commuter town; plan for a functional stop rather than tourism. Watch for: the M25/A14 into London can gridlock; if you have to reach Heathrow expect 3+ hours from Felixstowe.
Last verified: 2026-07-01. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.
Felixstowe (UN/LOCODE GBFXT) is a designated seaport in United Kingdom (SFK) in the northern European / African Atlantic region. The port operates on Europe/London, uses the Pound Sterling (GBP), runs shore power at 230V/50Hz (Type G). Nearest major airport for crew changes is RAF Honington (BEQ), 57 km from the port.
Reference
- Coordinates
- 51.9642959, 1.3289938
- Time zone
- Europe/LondonUTC +00:00observes DST
- Local currency
- GBP— Pound Sterling
- Languages
- en
- Nearest airport
- BEQRAF Honington~57 km
- Electricity
- 230 V50 Hzplugs G(country default — verify at berth)
- Climate
- CfbOceanic / temperate
Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.
- Function codes
- 1-------
seaport
- Port authority
- Harwich Haven - HHA | Port Authority for the Harwich Haven
Operational details
Compiled from public port-authority and P&I-club directories. Always verify current contacts via your agent before arrival.
Pilotage / VTS
Harwich Haven VTS / Felixstowe Port Control
- VHF: Ch 71 (HHA), Ch 11 (port)
- Phone: +44 1255 243030
- Web: www.hha.co.uk
P&I correspondents
- · The Britannia P&I Club London
- · UK P&I Club London (Thomas Miller)
- · Hill Dickinson Marine
Port agents
- · Inchcape Felixstowe
- · GAC UK
- · Wilson UK
ISPS security level (normal): 1
Compulsory pilotage; busiest UK container port; SECA emissions zone.
Helplines for seafarers in United Kingdom
Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.
- Sailors' SocietyGlobal · 24/7 crisis line · en
- The Mission to SeafarersGlobal · CrewHelp 24/7 · en
- Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea)Global · 24/7 emergency line · en
- Nautilus InternationalUK/NL/CH · Office hours · en, nl
- ICMA — International Christian Maritime AssociationGlobal · Office hours · en
- Seafarers' Rights InternationalGlobal · Office hours · en
Other ports in United Kingdom
Survival information
Practical information for crew arriving here. Verified where possible — see sources. Spot a mistake or missing detail? Tell us.
Emergency contacts
- UK Emergency: 999 · 24/7
- HM Coastguard Maritime Rescue Coordination — UK: +44 0 1304 210 008 · 24/7
- Port of Felixstowe duty number: +44 1394 604 500 · 24/7
Hospitals / clinics
- Ipswich HospitalHeath Road, Ipswich
Shore leave
UK rules: most visa-waiver nationalities (US, EU, etc.) need no visa for shore leave. Other nationalities need a Standard Visitor visa (transit) — apply in advance via gov.uk/check-uk-visa. Seafarers signing on/off at UK ports who need a visa should also confirm with their flag-state.
Plan it: /tools/shore-leave-port-card
Transport
Nearest major airport: RAF Honington (BEQ (~57 km)). Vessel agent normally arranges taxi or seafarer-centre shuttle to/from the airport at sign-on / sign-off. Confirm transport with the agent at least 24 hours before disembarkation.
SIM & Wi-Fi
Major operators: EE, O2, Vodafone, Three. Prepaid SIM at any supermarket. Free Wi-Fi at Apostleship of the Sea + Mission to Seafarers centres in Felixstowe (Felixstowe Seafarers' Centre), Southampton, Tilbury (Stella Maris), Liverpool, Hull. The Sailors' Society also operates UK port chaplaincies.
Consular contacts
Related rights: shore leave · medical care · abandonment · unpaid wages.
Port-state-control region: paris MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.
Felixstowe: seafarer FAQ
- Is shore leave allowed at Felixstowe?
- Shore leave at Felixstowe: UK rules: most visa-waiver nationalities (US, EU, etc.) need no visa for shore leave. Other nationalities need a Standard Visitor visa (transit) — apply in advance via gov.uk/check-uk-visa. Seafarers signing on/off at UK ports who need a visa should also confirm with their flag-state.. Shore leave policy is set by the port authority, the flag administration, and the visa regime of United Kingdom. Confirm with the agent before stepping ashore.
- What visa or shore-pass do I need for Felixstowe?
- Seafarers calling at Felixstowe on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. United Kingdom may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
- Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Felixstowe?
- Yes — 2 seafarer welfare centres are listed for Felixstowe in our directory. The centres are typically run by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), or a regional ministry, and offer wifi, transport, shop, chaplaincy, and advocacy. Walk-in is normal; no appointment needed.
- Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Felixstowe?
- Yes — 6 helplines are listed for United Kingdom in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
- What's the nearest hospital to Felixstowe?
- Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is RAF Honington (BEQ), about 57 km away — useful for medevac planning.
- Is Felixstowe a recognised crew-change port?
- Yes — Felixstowe is listed in our directory of recognised crew-change hubs, consolidated from IMO MSC.1/Circ.1636, ICS/IFSMA briefings, and ITF priority-port reports. Recognised hubs typically have better port-state and immigration facilitation for crew-change operations, faster visa processing for seafarers, and more welfare-centre presence.
For the arriving crew
- Pilot ladder (SOLAS V/23) — rigging + inspection + Master's duty of care.
- Pre-arrival checklist — the standard bridge + engine + agent workflow before entering port.
- Ships' agent — role + documentation + interface with pilotage + tug + immigration.
- Currency at port — cash-carrying limits + declaration + safe practices.
- Hours of rest — STCW VIII/1 + MLC A2.3 rest rules during port operations.
Sources & verification (14)
- country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (GB)retrieved 2026-05-05
- country_name · ISO 3166-1 (GB)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (GBP)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (GBP)retrieved 2026-05-05
- languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (GB)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Europe/London)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/London)retrieved 2026-05-05
- electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (GB)retrieved 2026-05-05
- function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (1-------)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/London)retrieved 2026-05-06
- nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (BEQ)retrieved 2026-05-07
- wikidata_qid · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1000656)retrieved 2026-05-07
- osm_relation_id · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1000656)retrieved 2026-05-07
- climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (GB)retrieved 2026-05-07
Last verified
High confidenceEditorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.