Secretary of State for transport visits Dp World London Gateway

DP World London Gateway has announced plans to move forward with a third berth at the UK’s new deep-sea hub port, located 25 miles from central London. The Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP, visited the state-of-the-art port with local MPs. He climbed one of the
world’s tallest quay cranes to view the location of the new berth which will increase deep-sea access for ships carrying UK imports and exports. The location of the DP World London Gateway Port, which has 16 million consumers within 50 miles, enables imports to enter the UK closer to where the goods will be consumed. Bringing ships closer to key areas of consumption such as London, Birmingham and Manchester, reduces the need to truck goods many miles inland, thereby removing unnecessary supply chain costs.

In addition, rail services from the port now call at 11 destinations across the UK, offering a highly efficient alternative to road freight. The Berth Three announcement will enable the use of an additional 400 meters of quay length with a dredged depth of 17 meters alongside. DP World London Gateway port can easily handle the largest container ships and has developed innovative technology to ensure the port remains open in bad weather. Contracts have been awarded to VolkerFitzpatrick for civil and electrical works and four new quay cranes have been ordered from ZPMC. The third berth is planned to be operational in the second half of 2016.

DP World London Gateway management showed the Transport Secretary the scale of the port as well as the adjacent London Gateway Logistics Park. Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP, said: “The continued expansion of London Gateway Port proves Britain is a country where companies want to invest. The new third berth announced today will create many new jobs and is a signal that the UK maritime sector is continuing to grow.

The maritime sector directly contributes £14 billion to our economy every year and supports more than a million jobs. Having visited the port I have seen for myself what a fantastic piece of infrastructure it is and the opportunity that exists for even further growth and expansion at this site. Putting in place the right foundation to allow businesses like DP World to prosper in the UK is part of the government's long term economic plan.”