As construction crews drive the expansion of Berths Five and Six, London Gateway is fast becoming the UK’s premier multimodal hub. From the vertical innovation of BOXBAY to the quiet pulse of electrified operations, the River Thames is witnessing a high-tech transformation designed to redefine British port productivity.
These days, construction is as much the soundtrack of London Gateway as are the sounds of warning alarms and container handling. Britain’s newest terminal is growing on the water, on the quayside and in its hinterland. Already busy at the port’s four berths, work is underway to massively extend the terminal’s capacity, with the intention of making it the biggest container port in the British Isles.
Only 28 miles (45km) downriver from Tower Bridge, London Gateway lives up to its name. Designed from scratch, for Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCV), the port’s four operational berths today have a total length of over 1600m.
On the quayside, 16 STS cranes work vessels, with containers moved to the yard area that now boasts 60 automated stacking cranes. A striking aspect of the tour is that almost half of the STS cranes were seen working in tandem mode, handling two 40ft containers at a time under the spreader.
Extending the footprint
“In 2025, London Gateway and Southampton handled a combined five million TEU,” Kris Adams, the newly appointed UK CEO Ports & Terminals, DP World, told WorldCargo News. He is confident there is much more to come. “Our ports and terminals in the UK are going from strength to strength as we continue to invest, grow, and develop our service to customers. As volumes grow, our focus remains on expanding capacity. Our second rail terminal at London Gateway is already operational, while the new fifth berth will come into service next year, with construction progressing well, and Southampton due to take delivery of new quay cranes this summer.”
Approaching the site of the fifth berth, the rhythmic beat of piling hammers punctuates any tour. Work is progressing, with that noisy but essential process due for completion in March, shortly after this observation. While berth six is still at the pre-construction stage, work is moving ahead rapidly, under the management of McLaughlin and Harvey, a long-established construction and civil engineering contractor operating across the UK and Ireland. While the company is better known in the north of the UK, it has extensive marine experience. Berth Five is currently scheduled to begin initial operations in 2027.
BOXBAY: a vending machine
Massive civil engineering projects though they are, the two new berths are far from the only infrastructure projects planned at London Gateway. The most radical is surely the planned construction and introduction of a “BOXBAY” container system. DP World is part of the development partnership for this container handling system. DP World is investing GB£170m into the development of BOXBAY at London Gateway.
The new chief executive is, again, confident that it is a move in the right direction. “Our latest investment of £170 million in BOXBAY at London Gateway will deliver an ‘Empty Superstack System’ that will effectively operate like a giant vending machine for containers, helping to increase capacity, reduce turnaround times and improve safety across the port,” explains Adams.
Handle less, move more
The logic behind such a massive investment in BOXBAY becomes clear as we look at the broader yard. While the existing automated stacking cranes (ASCs) are the workhorses of the terminal, they are often tied up with “housekeeping”, the constant shuffling of containers to deliver import containers to the landside transfer zones and optimise stacks for vessel loading.
Currently, empties have to be managed through the ASC blocks to be delivered to a vessel for loading. Implementing BOXBAY will separate out the empty boxes. Road trucks will deliver empties into BOXBAY for storage. At the waterside, empty containers are moved out of BOXBAY on pallet cars, where they are lifted off by London Gateway’s existing low-height straddle carrier fleet and taken directly to the STS cranes.
Efficiency ripple
BOXBAY will store 20-foot and 40-foot empty containers up to 16 tiers high in a fully enclosed facility, accommodating up to 27,000 TEU. The result is a ripple effect of efficiency: faster truck turnaround times, increased yard capacity, and a safer, more segregated environment for the workforce. Crucially, this isn’t a standalone “island” of technology. Integration is the watchword. It’s pointed out that the BOXBAY software will plug directly into London Gateway’s existing terminal operating system (TOS).
Kempower on the quayside
Turning away from the stacking yards toward the internal roads, the silent hum of the terminal’s green evolution is audible, or rather, it is the lack of traditional engine noise. As WorldCargo News has previously reported, London Gateway has become a pioneer for electrified port infrastructure in Europe. Central to this is the partnership with Finnish manufacturer Kempower and long-standing partner Kalmar.
The view from the charging area shows the eight liquid-cooled Kempower “satellites” that form Europe’s first ultra-high-power 500-amp continuous charging system. Modular 500kW power units that allow eight Kalmar electric straddle carriers to be charged from 10% to full in just 45 minutes. For London Gateway, DP World selected Kalmar electric straddle carriers with high-energy batteries that are capable of operating for up to four hours without charging and can be recharged in a standard driver break.
London Gateway is also installing Kalmar’s pantograph system, a 400kW overhead charging solution, for opportunity charging during operations. To position the straddle carrier correctly, drivers are guided by physical wheel guides that align the machine under the pantograph. DP World has put in place a dedicated training programme with a goal of making an “opportunity charge” a routine part of any shift.
Logistics park
Beyond the stacks and cranes, the London Gateway Logistics Park sits so close that it feels like a natural extension of the terminal. Being inside the Thames Freeport economic zone, it offers third-party operators significant financial and regulatory levers, but the operational integration is the true “on-site” advantage.
DP World demonstrated the “banana flow” to illustrate the point. Fruit arriving from South America is discharged at the berth, moved across to a dedicated temperature-controlled ripening facility in the Logistics Park, and then distributed via the on-site rail terminal or HGV. All this is accomplished without the cargo ever truly “leaving” the DP World estate. It is an attractive choice for customers looking to strip out wasted miles from their supply chains.
The future of automation
Despite the heavy emphasis on automation and remote control, the presence of skilled operators remains a vital part of the landscape. London Gateway was designed from the outset with the potential for fully automated shuttle carriers and even automated STS cranes. However, the current philosophy is one of “blended” operations.
While DP World is constantly evaluating ways to develop and expand automation, the operator remains committed to the standard of excellence provided by their straddle carrier and quay crane operators. For now, technology is being deployed to augment human skill, ensuring that, while the terminal grows to six berths, the reliability of the operation remains constant.
Dual port business model
DP World also offered some insights into the relationship between London Gateway and its sister port in Southampton. In an industry where service diversions can be a headache for the inland supply chain, DP World treats its UK assets as a single business unit. The daily intermodal train between the two locations acts as a commercial bridge rather than a mere logistics transfer.
The scale of this operation allows DP World to meet operational changes with minimal disruption. If a carrier diverts a service, the impact is managed through shared infrastructure and integrated planning. London Gateway recently shattered records by handling over three million TEU in 2025 (a 52% surge). The synergy between the two ports has never been more critical.
As the piling hammers continue their beat at Berth Five, there is a sense that the terminal is entering a new era of maturity. Kris Adams, who will oversee much of this transformation, says prospective clients and the industry have a clear sense of direction. His thoughts reflect not just a summary of past success, but a definitive roadmap for the years ahead.
“Our ports and terminals in the UK are going from strength to strength as we continue to invest, grow, and develop our service to customers,” he reflects. “Looking ahead to 2026, we expect another busy year as we continue progressing towards our ambition of making London Gateway the UK’s largest container terminal by the end of the decade.”
The tandem advantage
From the outset, the STS cranes at London Gateway have been specified for the “tandem” lift – the ability of a single crane to handle two 40ft containers, or four 20ft units, in a single movement.
It is a capability that remains relatively rare on a global scale, primarily because it requires a level of stowage planning on the vessel that many ports find difficult to coordinate. However, at London Gateway, tandem handling is far from a niche operation. DP World claims approximately 50% of all moves are currently handled in tandem. Each of the quay cranes is equipped with the SingFlex from RAM Spreaders and can switch between single and tandem modes in under two minutes.
DP World constantly endeavours to maximise tandem lifting opportunities by working closely with carriers to ensure the stowage plan creates as many appropriately positioned containers as possible. When the alignment is right, the result is a significant boost in productivity.
At the railhead – multimodal traction action on deployment
While much of the UK’s heavy freight remains dependent on diesel traction, the shift towards a cleaner hinterland is visible in the rapid expansion of the port’s rail infrastructure. As widely reported, DP World has issued tenders for further delivery of rail facilities.
The view behind the quayside now encompasses the second intermodal rail terminal, a critical piece of the puzzle that is already operational and running services. While the rail terminal is positioned to serve the upcoming berths five and six, once they are fully commissioned, its immediate impact is one of relief. The second terminal is already significantly easing the pressure on the original rail head, allowing for a more fluid transfer of containers from ship to shore and onto the national rail network.
DP World even promotes London Gateway as an international rail terminal, with bespoke operations possible via the Channel Tunnel to mainland Europe – albeit there are capacity constraints on the wider UK rail network, which are the responsibility of the national infrastructure agency, Network Rail.
Clean traction options
Nevertheless, the environmental logic is hard to ignore. As frequently noted by the industry representatives, the Rail Freight Group, moving goods by rail is approximately four times cleaner than road transport, comparing diesel to diesel traction. Electric locomotives are cleaner still. While the sight of a traditional diesel-hauled freight train remains commonplace, there is an increasing presence of “bi-mode” and, soon, even “tri-mode” locomotives. These advanced machines are designed to take advantage of overhead electrification where available, or even batteries, further slashing the carbon footprint of every TEU moved.
*This story first appeared in the May 2026 print issue of WorldCargo News.