DP World has announced a GB£1 billion (US$1.3 billion) expansion of London Gateway aiming to make it Britain’s largest container port within five years.
The global port and terminal operator will increase the capacity of London Gateway’s port by building two new shipping berths, taking the total to six berths able to receive the world’s largest container vessels. The site will also see a second rail terminal to handle the expected increase in containerised trade.
By the end of the decade, the full quayside stretching more than 2.5km in length will be able to simultaneously receive six vessels, each more than 400 metres long, and boast Europe’s tallest quay cranes, according to DP World.
The expansion is expected to create a further 400 permanent new jobs, in addition to the 1,200 currently employed at the site, and is the culmination of a rapid growth plan for the Thames Estuary hub which opened in 2013 and has been a catalyst for economic regeneration in south Essex.
The expansion will bring DP World’s total investment at London Gateway to more than GB£3 billion (around US$4 billion), converting the site of a former oil refinery into one of the UK’s largest and most important logistics hubs, which handles around 2 million TEUs annually. The site most recently saw the addition of a £350 million (US$455 million) fourth berth, the first to be powered entirely by electricity and soon to accept its first ship.
DP World has also established Europe’s largest logistics park, employing 1,500 workers, as a counterweight to the Midlands-based ‘golden triangle’ of UK logistics. Tenants at the park benefit from storage, warehousing and distribution services linked to rail freight and motorway connections, and quick access to the market of London and the South East.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman & CEO at DP World, commented: “DP World London Gateway will help make Britain’s trade flow in the future by connecting domestic exporters with global markets and delivering vital supply chain resilience for the whole economy.”
