DP World London Gateway

Multipurpose Port and Terminal of London, United Kingdom

DP World London Gateway is a port within the wider Port of London, United Kingdom. Opened in November 2013, the site is a fully integrated logistics facility, comprising a semi-automated, deep-sea container terminal on the same site as the UK's largest land bank for development of warehousing, distribution facilities and ancillary logistics services.

The facility is located on the north bank of the River Thames in Thurrock, Essex, 30 miles (48 km) east of central London. The deep-water port is able to handle the biggest container ships in the world.[clarification needed] The port is now linked on a weekly-basis with 51 countries and more than 90 ports all over the world, including Asia, Australia, the US, South America, Africa, India and southern Europe. The largest ships anchor off Suffolk to await the pilot vessel from Harwich to escort them to London Gateway through the shifting sands off Essex.

Undertaken by DP World, the new facility is significantly increasing the capabilities and efficiencies of the Port of London in handling container shipping,[1] to help meet the growing demand for container handling at Britain's ports.[citation needed] Construction began in February 2010, with the port and logistics park being completed in stages. Three berths were initially completed, with potential for the development of three more; DP World in 2021 announced that it would build a fourth berth. The first phase of the port opened for business on 6 November 2013 with the docking of the 58,000-tonne MOL Caledon, loaded with fruit and wine from South Africa. Annual capacity of the port is 3.5 million containers (TEU); 2021 throughput was 1.8 million TEU, and was increasing year by year.