Ten facts about London Gateway, the UK’s new Super Port.

As the London Gateway port welcomed it first vessel this month, Intermodal Eye brings you ten interesting facts about the UK’s newest container port:

1. London Gateway will provide 2,700 metres of quay, six deep-water berths with depth alongside of 17 metres, 24 giant quay cranes and an annual capacity of 3.5 million TEU.
2. It is forecast that the development will create 27,000 jobs in London and the South East of England and contribute £2.4 billion a year to its economy.
3. It is owned by Dubai based DP World.
4. The first vessel to dock at the port was the MOL Caledon, a 58,000 tonne container ship carrying fruit and wine from South Africa.
5. The new super port is a £1.5 billion facility at Thurrock, Essex, 20 miles (32km) down the River Thames from London.
6. Analysis has shown that more than 65 million HGV road miles and 148,000 tonnes of CO2 could be saved every year, thanks to London Gateway’s location which is much closer to UK shippers’ destinations.
7. London Gateway has two rail lines into the port with six 750 metre long rail sidings.
8. The London Gateway Logistics Park offers 9 million square foot of warehousing space.
9. During the development, the Gateway environmental team organised the relocation of more than 300,000 animals to new habitats and created a new nature reserve 30 times the size of Trafalgar Square.
10. The quay cranes at London Gateway are amongst the largest in the world – taller than the London Eye, their 25-box outreach takes them beyond the width of the world’s largest container ship.