The move is set to boost volume and resilience of international trade (Photo: DP World)
DP World has announced a £1bn expansion of London Gateway to make it Britain’s largest container port within five years.
The global logistics giant will increase 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 ships.
The site will also see a second rail terminal added 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 at the height of the Big Ben.
The expansion will create a further 400 permanent new jobs, in addition to the 1,200 currently employed at the site.
It will take the total invested by DP World at London Gateway to more than £3bn, converting the site of a former oil refinery into one of the UK’s largest and most important logistics hubs.
The site has most recently seen the addition of a £350m fourth berth, the first to be powered entirely by electricity, and which will soon accept its first ship.
DP World has 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 important consumer market of London and the South East.
Fast-track planning consent enables businesses to erect new facilities in response to demand.
Ernst Schulze, Chief Executive Officer for Ports & Terminals at DP World UK, said: “As this commitment demonstrates, London Gateway’s location and transport infrastructure are ideally placed for expansion.
"With extra capacity comes the reliability and supply chain resilience so important to our customers and consumers, especially in uncertain times such as the pandemic and disruption due to geopolitical events.”
Subject to planning approval and regulatory requirements, the expansion is expected to significantly increase the volume of trade at the port which currently handles approximately nearly 2 million TEU annually.
DP World plays an increasing role in the UK economy, employing 5,500 workers across a wide portfolio of logistics services.