DP World has confirmed the operational launch of ‘the world’s first all-electric berth’ at London Gateway. The berth is the fourth at the site, and represents a £350 million investment from DP World.
The first ship at the berth was the MSC Sena. The vessel was serviced by an all-electric vehicle fleet and electric equipment, including four of Europe’s largest quay cranes, straddle carriers and automatic stacking cranes.
DP World believes that the new 430m berth will ‘increase trading capacity at the container port by more than a third, strengthening customer supply chains with enhanced global connectivity, increased reliability and quicker turnaround times’.
The opening of London Gateway’s fourth berth follows DP World’s announcement that it will be investing £1bn in the site in an effort to make London Gateway ‘Britain’s largest container port within the next five years’. This expansion will see the development of a further two berths at London Gateway.
Ernst Schulze, CEO for ports and terminals at DP World in the UK, said: “The arrival of the first ship at our new all-electric fourth berth is a huge landmark for DP World’s ambitions in the UK.
“We have already invested more than £2 billion in the building of our modern and efficient facility at London Gateway in the last decade, connecting the UK with global supply chains and export markets.
“This new berth, alongside our £1bn investment in the fifth and sixth berths, will further enable us to service the largest vessels in operation worldwide today, and the larger, future megaships currently under construction, while also advancing our goal to be net zero by 2050.
“At London Gateway and across our UK operations, we are quickly building a unique array of assets and end-to-end supply chain capabilities, helping our customers stay competitive in a fast-changing trading environment, while serving the national interest.”
According to DP World, the opening of a fourth berth has added a further 200 permanent jobs at London Gateway, which is a part of Thames Freeport.
