Ministerial visit signals start of London Gateway project

One of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects, London Gateway will be Europe’s largest combined deep-sea port and logistics park and the first new deep sea container port in the UK for over 25 years.

In addition to the DP World investment, the European Commission is providing up to €14m (US$20m) towards the project through the TEN-T Agency.

Located 25 miles east of central London on the former Shell Haven oil refinery on the north bank of the River Thames in Essex, the 1,500-acre site is the same size as two Cities of London. It will give unrivalled deep-sea shipping access and transform the movement of freight around the UK, reducing road haulage and cutting CO2 emissions.

"London Gateway is a significant foreign investment into the UK,” said Prime Minister Gordon Brown. “It is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s economic recovery and in this region.”

“I am delighted with the decision to locate this world-class project here in the UK. It will help bring the largest deep sea vessels here and improve the efficiency of the UK’s freight distribution, creating thousands of jobs, future growth and economic prosperity."

According to an independent survey commissioned by DP World, the development will generate 36,000 jobs in total, including 12,000 jobs in logistics and construction that will be created in the short term.

On completion, London Gateway will provide tri-modal road, rail and sea links, saving an estimated 60 million truck miles per year - equal to about 2,000 truck movements per day on UK’s roads, according to DP World. With London Gateway acting as a hub, containers can be sent via smaller ships to other ports around the UK.

"When complete, London Gateway will provide the UK with modern, efficient infrastructure while at the same time reducing CO2 emissions and supply chain costs. By starting the major elements of construction, we ensure maximum flexibility to develop the project efficiently in line with market demand," said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.

(Source: Container Managerment)