DP World London Gateway Port Construction
Thurrock, Essex, UK · 2010–Present (initial opening 2013, ongoing expansions) · £1.5bn (initial investment), £1bn (expansion announced 2025)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchStrategic investment to create one of the UK's largest and most advanced deep-sea container ports. - Continuous expansion and upgrades to meet growing trade demands and enhance operational efficiency. - Focus on automation and sustainability with features like all-electric berths and Europe's tallest quay cranes.
Key engineering challenges
Constructing a major deep-water port on the River Thames, requiring extensive dredging and reclamation. - Designing and building large-scale quay walls and container terminal infrastructure. - Integrating road and rail links to create a comprehensive logistics hub. - Managing significant environmental considerations during construction and operation.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- DP World
- Lead contractor
- Laing O'Rourke and Dredging International (LORDI) JV (initial), VolkerFitzpatrick (Berth 3), McLH (Berth 4)
- Lead designers
- HR Wallingford (early stages)
- Project type
- new build | upgrade
- Scale
- 6 berths (3 initially, 3 more planned/underway); Berth 3: 400m quay, 17m dredged depth, 10,000 TEU stacking; Berth 4: 430m tubular piled quay wall; Berth 5: 400m all-electric berth
- Disciplines
- Marine; Civil; Geotechnical; Environmental; Logistics; Electrical
- Standards & frameworks
- UK port development regulations, environmental impact assessments, relevant British Standards.
Sources: DP World: London Gateway (https://www.dpworld.com/en/ports-terminals/united-kingdom/london-gateway) - Wikipedia: London Gateway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Gateway) - Supply Chain Digital: How DP World's London Gateway Expansion will Boost Logistics (https://supplychaindigital.com/logistics/dp-worlds-1bn-london-gateway-expansion-to-boost-logistics) - McLH: DP World London Gateway Berth 4 (https://www.mclh.co.uk/project/dp-world-london-gateway/) - VolkerFitzpatrick: Project - London Gateway Berth 3 (https://www.volkerfitzpatrick.co.uk/en/projects/london-gateway-berth-3)