DP World’s £1bn UK Port Investment Moving Forward

Dubai-based global logistics company, DP World, has announced it will be moving ahead with a £1 billion expansion of its London Gateway port, turning it into Britain’s largest container port, and creating 400 new permanent jobs.

The expansion will increase the port’s capacity by two shipping berths to a total of six berths, enabling it to receive the world’s largest container ships. At over 2.5km in length, it will be able to simultaneously receive six vessels, each more than 400 metres long, and boast the tallest quay cranes in Europe.

A second rail terminal will also be added to the site to handle the expected increase in containerised trade. 

Group Chairman and Chief Executive of DP World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, said: “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”.

The company added that the expansion would create a further 400 permanent new jobs, in addition to the 1200 currently employed at the site. It is the culmination of a rapid growth plan for the Thames Estuary hub, which opened in 2013, and has been the catalyst for economic regeneration in south Essex.

The expansion will take the total invested by DP World to more than £3 billion, converting the former oil refinery into the UK’s largest and most important logistics hub. The site has most recently seen the addition of a £350 million fourth berth - the first to be powered entirely by electricity - which will soon accept its first ship.

Chief Executive Officer for Ports & Terminals at DP World UK, Ernst Schulze, 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 be the catalyst for a significant increase to the volume of trade at the port, which currently handles nearly 2 million TEU annually.

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