DP World gears up to make London Gateway the UK’s largest container port

March 24, 2025, by Sara Kosmajac

London Gateway, a deep-sea port some 48 kilometers east of Central London operated by UAE-based logistics heavyweight DP World, is set to undergo major construction works as a £1 billion ($1.3 billion) expansion project nears its commencement date.

As per DP World, the expansion is slated to begin in May 2025 and is expected to take four years to complete. Estimates are that this could ‘significantly’ increase the capacity of the port and ‘bolster’ the UK’s maritime infrastructure.

Simultaneously, the UAE-headquartered logistics player said that the endeavor could establish London Gateway as a “critical hub” for boosting the UK’s trade capability.

Baroness Poppy Gustafsson OBE, Minister of State for Investment, highlighted that the initiative could also deliver “long-term, stable growth” that supports jobs as well as the local economy.

“The UK is open for business and DP World’s major investment is the latest vote of confidence in our economy, delivering economic growth and showing our Plan for Change is working,” she added.

As informed, DP World has been taking steps to gain regulatory approval for the investment ever since Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO and Group Chairman, revealed it at a summit in the UK in October 2024.

At the time, the Dubai-headquartered company shared that it would pour a whopping £1 billion into ‘enhancing’ London Gateway’s infrastructure, particularly with the addition of two 400-meter-long all-electric shipping berths.

As part of the investment, DP World revealed that a second rail terminal would be built, as well, to manage the anticipated rise in container traffic. It is understood that, by the project’s end, the port’s 2.5-kilometer quayside would boast the capacity to accommodate six of the world’s largest boxships at the same time.

In addition to this, representatives from DP World have noted that the expanded container port would be served by ‘Europe’s tallest quay cranes.’

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Over the years, DP World has grown deep roots within the UK, having invested more than £5 billion in its operations in the country, the company’s CEO remarked.

What is more, in January 2025, DP World unveiled that it had passed 100 million TEUs of container handling capacity across its global portfolio since its founding, with goals to up the numbers further moving forward.

The company has ascribed this milestone to the series of strategic investments and infrastructure projects made over the years, internationally as well as domestically. As divulged, these investments are valued at a total of $11 billion.

Recently, London Gateway itself marked a ‘milestone’ for the Danish shipping titan A.P. Møller–Maersk and Germany’s shipping major Happag-Lloyd; namely, in mid-March 2025, the port welcomed the 299-meter long container vessel Maersk Stadelhorn – its first ship under the recently kick-started Gemini Cooperation, which Maersk and Hapag-Llyod established to deliver a “flexible and interconnected” ocean network with schedule reliability, predictability and sustainability in mind while covering the main East-West trade routes.

Speaking about the occasion, Ernst Schulze, DP World Ports & Terminals Lead for Northern Europe, commented that this Asia-Europe service had the potential to enhance “vital international trade routes at London Gateway”, and give speed to the company’s ambition to make the London Gateway “the UK’s biggest container port within the next five years.”

As understood, Maersk Stadelhorn’s call came just a month after DP World Southampton rang the welcome bell to its first vessel under the Gemini Cooperation, the MV Leonidio.