The UK's newest container port has welcomed its first vessel.
London Gateway, a £1.5bn facility at Thurrock, Essex, is 20 miles down the River Thames from London.
Capable of handling 3.5 million containers a year, forecasts suggest the development will create 27,000 jobs in London and the southeEast, contributing £2.4bn a year to its economy.
The first vessel to dock at the port was the MOL Caledon, a 58,000-tonne container ship, bringing fruit and wine from South Africa.
Mohammed Sharaf, group CEO at Dubai-based DP World, which is behind the project, said: “We are pleased to welcome one of our most important customers, MOL, as the first shipping line to call at London Gateway as part of the new consortium service routed through London Gateway.
'Bringing London Gateway to this point has been very much a partnership with all our stakeholders, including our customers, and I would particularly like to thank them, those involved in the port’s construction, government authorities, the community and our people who have worked tirelessly to realise this vision.”
Adrian Jones, managing director at MOL (Europe), said: “This is an historic moment for both MOL and DP World London Gateway. The arrival of our first container vessel into the port marks the birth of a facility that is likely to play a critical part in the future of seaborne trade to and from the UK.
'The proximity of London Gateway to London and DP World’s plans to grow an extensive logistics park around the port, mean that this will be an attractive port for many customers – reducing costs in their supply chain.'
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