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DP World to invest £300m at London Gateway logistics hub
DP World, a Dubai-based supply chain solutions specialist, is set to begin work in October 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 £300m investment – which builds on the £2bn investment DP World has made in Britain over the last decade – represents the next step in delivering integrated supply chain solutions for customers.
DP World is to invest £300m in a new fourth berth at the London Gateway logistics hub to create new capacity and support supply chain resilience / Picture: DP World
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “I am delighted to announce that we will go ahead with our latest major investment in the UK, which will give London Gateway more capacity to handle the world’s largest vessels than any other port in the country.
“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. DP World plans to be at the heart of Britain’s trading future and this investment shows that we have the ambition and the resources to boost growth, support businesses, create jobs and improve living standards.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, added: “Our new freeports will create national hubs of trade, innovation and commerce, and attract more investment to regenerate communities and level up the UK. Bringing ports and business together to invest in their regions is crucial to the Freeports success story – that’s why I’m thrilled that DP World is investing £300m to support Thames Freeport – creating new opportunities, boosting growth and supporting local jobs.”
In the first six months of 2021, London Gateway saw record throughput of 888,000 TEU*, a more than 23 per cent 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 24,000 TEU 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. DP World Southampton has also been awarded freeport status as part of Solent Freeport, further cementing the critical role of both logistics hubs in the UK’s international trade.
*A TEU is a measure of cargo capacity – one TEU is the equivalent of one twenty-foot long container.