Minister Walks on New Piece of Britain

London Gateway, February 8, 2011:

This time last year there was nothing but water. Now, there is enough new land to build a town…

Shipping Minister Mike Penning MP has been walking across a brand new piece of Britain - where this time last year there was nothing but water. New land, enough to fill 4,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, has so far been created at the London Gateway deep sea port and logistics park, which is under construction on the Thames in South Essex.

Accompanied by DP World CEO Mohammed Sharaf and London Gateway CEO Simon Moore, Mr Penning was invited to view the new land being created as part of the works. 

Amongst the tools being utilised during the massive engineering and construction project is a huge vibro-compaction probe which is used to shake the ground to make it settle. The probe shakes the newly-laid ground which has been created from dredging the Thames Estuary, enabling the material to be compacted and helping the engineering process.

Mr Penning said: “This is a unique project which has the full support of the Government. It aims to create thousands of jobs, whilst removing thousands of trucks from the nation’s roads.”

Mr Sharaf said: “We were delighted to show the Minister for Shipping around London Gateway’s construction site. I believe he was impressed with the progress being made and he is welcome to visit us in future as we chart the milestones along the way.”

Simon Moore said: “The Minister’s visit emphasised the high-level support for London Gateway’s development, which has already led to the creation of more than 600 construction jobs – many for local people – and which will create around 36,000 jobs for the UK when fully complete. It is the single largest employment creation project in Britain.

He continued: “Not only will London Gateway have a significant impact on the regional economy, the new port and logistics park will also be of huge benefit to the country, as it will reshape UK supply chains for the better.”

One of the main benefits of the port development will be the reduction of lorry movements on the UK’s road network, as imported goods will be closer to the London and South East markets. This will save UK companies significant transportation and distribution costs as well as improving carbon footprints. Over 65 million freight miles will be saved every year and 140,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

For more information, visit www.londongateway.com

ENDS

 
From left, London Gateway CEO Simon Moore, Transport Minister Mike Penning MP and DP World CEO Mohammed Sharaf.

About DP World

DP World is one of the largest marine terminal operators in the world, with 49 terminals and 10 new developments and major expansions across 31 countries(¹⁾.  Its dedicated, experienced and professional team of nearly 30,000 people serves customers in some of the most dynamic economies in the world. 

DP World aims to enhance customers’ supply chain efficiency by effectively managing container, bulk and other terminal cargo. 

The company constantly invests in terminal infrastructure, facilities and people, working closely with customers and business partners to provide quality services today and tomorrow, when and where customers need them. In taking this customer-centric approach, DP World is building on the established relationships and superior level of service demonstrated at its flagship Jebel Ali facility in Dubai, which has been voted “Best Seaport in the Middle East” for 16 consecutive years.

In 2010, DP World handled 50 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units) across its portfolio from the Americas to Asia. With a pipeline of expansion and development projects in key growth markets, including India, China and the Middle East, capacity is expected to rise to around 92 million TEU by 2020, in line with market demand.

www.dpworld.com

(1)   As of 25 January 2011