French liner giant CMA CGM is investing in a bespoke multi-temperature logistics warehouse at DP World London Gateway.
Construction of the 107,155 sq ft cold store facility at the port’s logistics park will begin later in 2018 with operations expected to start in early summer 2019.
As well as featuring chilled and frozen chambers, additional services will include quality control, packing, sorting, labelling, palletisation and bagging.
There will also be customs clearance, shunting (transfer from the quay to the warehouse) and delivery transportation (last-mile delivery).
The liner hopes its new one-stop-shop facility will save time and money for importers and exporters, as well as reducing waste and carbon use by reducing haulier mileage.
The site, which will include a one-hectare cold store within a 2.4-hectare logistics plot on the River Thames, will have close access to main roads into London.
Fitted with IT traceability and management systems, the project represents a major milestone for the shipping line’s strategy to develop a global range of services in maritime transportation and inland logistics.
CMA CGM, the world’s second largest carrier of reefer containers, is currently bringing cargo through London Gateway on seven services, with numerous refrigerated containers arriving from the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, India and South America.
In the last two months, CMA CGM has directed much of its UK-bound temperature-controlled Southern Hemisphere cargo through London Gateway.
The port is one of the fastest-growing in the world and handles large numbers of refrigerated containers arriving from all over the world.
Alexis Michel, CMA CGM’s senior vice president for inland activities, said: “This is an important step forward for CMA CGM and we’re looking forward to adding even greater value to the operations of our customers through the development of this facility.
“We’ll be able to offer our customers a unique range of value added services and make sure their goods receive the best care all along their journey with CMA CGM and until they reach their final destination.”
He added: “This is also a significant step up in our partnership with DP World, showing that ports, shipping lines, logistics companies and industrial zones can work collaboratively to deliver value for cargo owners shipping into and out of the UK.”
