DP World will begin work next month on a new fourth berth at its London Gateway logistics hub to increase supply chain resilience and create more capacity for the world’s largest vessels.
The £300 million (US$415 million) project, which builds on the £2 billion (US$2.8 billion) investment DP World has made in Britain over the last decade, represents the next step by the UAE global port operator in delivering integrated supply chain solutions for customers.
“Our latest major investment in the UK will give London Gateway more capacity to handle the world’s largest vessels than any other port in the country,” said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, who went on to add, “As a central pillar of Thames Freeport, London Gateway’s new fourth berth will allow even more customers to benefit from world class ports and logistics, with unrivalled global connectivity, on the doorstep of Europe’s largest consumer market.”
In the first six months of 2021 London Gateway saw a record throughput of 888,000TEU, a more than 23% increase on the previous best performance for the first half of a year. The new fourth berth will raise capacity by a third and completion will coincide with the delivery of a new wave of 24,000TEU vessels in 2023/2024, which will all be operated between Asia and Europe.
Along with the Port of Tilbury and Ford’s Dagenham plant, DP World London Gateway will form Thames Freeport after being awarded freeport status by the Government earlier this year, with the partners currently progressing the business case with a view to receiving formal accreditation.
