DP World has handled more than one million TEU in six months at London Gateway for the first time.
Between January and June 2022, London Gateway saw throughput of 1,013,000 TEU, a 10 per cent increase on the previous best half-yearly performance set in the second half of 2021.
The performance in the first half of the year was driven by a new international service, in addition to strong throughput from existing customers.
Goods imported and exported which saw strong growth in the first half of the year included coffee, tea and clothing.
This performance contributed to a record volume of cargo for DP World’s ports in the UK, with a combined total of 1,937,000 TEU when factoring in throughput at Southampton, Britain’s second largest container terminal.
DP World – which operates ports, terminals and logistics businesses on six continents – announced last year a further £300 million ($362 million) investment in a new fourth berth at London Gateway, which will lift capacity by a third when it opens in 2024.
Globally, the company reported a strong volume performance for the first six months of the year, with throughput growing by 2.7 per cent.
Group Chairman and Chief Executive of DP World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said: “Over the last 10 years, £2 billion ($2.41 billion) has been invested in the UK. London Gateway is one of the UK’s largest privately funded investment projects of the last 30 years and is set to grow further as part of Thames Freeport.
“Over the next 10 years around £1 billion ($1.21 billion) of further investment has been earmarked for the UK, making it our largest investment outside the Middle East.”
Ernst Schulze, UK Chief Executive of DP World, said: “This record performance illustrates our capacity to expand customer choice by introducing new sailings while continually improving our capability to deliver first class services for all existing customers.
“We expect our UK business to continue to grow, fuelled by our rapidly expanding port-centric logistics park at London Gateway, one of the biggest facilities of its kind in Europe.”
