The Government has a approved a scheme for a new port in Bristol, which will allow larger container ships to dock there. Currently some of the larger container ships do not fit through the narrow lock at the existing Avonmouth docks. This will allow the Port to handle an extra 1.5m twenty-foot equivalents per year, which will enable it to accomodate freight from areas of the UK outside the South West more effectively. The container shipping industry in the Uk is predicted to grow in the long terms at an average annual rate of around 4%.