DP World London Gateway has planned to move forward with a third berth at the UK’s new deep-sea hub port, located 25 miles from central London.

Patrick McLoughlin, the secretary of state for transport, visited the state-of-the-art port last week and 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, said a statement.
 
The location of the DP World London Gateway Port, which has 16 million consumers within 50 miles, will enable 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, will reduce 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 will also 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 handle the largest container ships afloat and has developed innovative technology to ensure the port remains open in bad weather.
 
The contracts have been awarded to Volker Fitzpatrick 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 next year.
 
“The continued expansion of London Gateway Port proves Britain is a country where companies want to invest,” said McLoughlin.
 
“The new third birth will create hundreds of jobs and is a signal that the UK maritime sector is continuing to grow. The maritime sector directly contributes £14 billion ($21.5 billion) to our economy every year and supports more than a million jobs,” he said.

“Having visited the port today 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."
 
Jamal Majid Bin-Thaniah, DP World vice chairman, said: “Since opening, DP World London Gateway has continued to attract more shipping line services and we remain committed to increasing speed and efficiency in supply chains. Today’s announcement is good news for our customers who are at the heart of everything we do.”
 
Simon Moore, chief executive officer, DP World London Gateway, said: “As the port continues to win new business, we are now announcing berth three in-line with our customer’s needs and we are delighted the Transport Secretary was able to visit the port and see for himself the facilities and infrastructure we have created to reduce supply chain costs.
 
“This is a very busy time for the team and I would like to praise them for their achievements. On Friday, last week, we welcomed the global CEO for Prologis, Hamid R Moghadam, and broke ground on our 316,000 square foot joint venture distribution centre, which will be ready for occupation later this year.
 
“The DP World London Gateway Logistics Centre, our Common User Facility, is also on track to open in Q2 this year and we are in advanced negotiations with several more clients for the Park.”
 
Maritime, the largest UK container haulage company, is now establishing a base at DP World London Gateway.
 
Pentalver, the leading container solutions company, is also constructing a new facility which will open soon. - TradeArabia News Service