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Inside London Gateway £350m port expansion

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A multi-million-pound expansion is underway at a major UK logistics hub. 

McLaughlin & Harvey is on site at DP World London Gateway Port delivering a new container berth. 

Inside the deal 

The firm has been appointed by DP World, an Emirati multinational logistics company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.   

DP World has revenues well in excess of USD$10 billion and is a subsidiary of investment firm, Dubai World, and port operator, Port & Free Zone World FZE. 

Subsidiaries of DP World itself include P&O Ferries, Topaz Energy and Marine Limited, and Imperial Logistics.  

Scope 

McLaughlin & Harvey has been brought in to construct a fourth container berth at DP World London Gateway Port. 

Credit: VolkerRail.

Based on the River Thames and with two deep water ports, each with freight rail terminals located at London Gateway and Southampton, DP World is the most consolidated logistics hub in the country.  

Its rail terminal is one of the longest in the UK, with more than 20% of throughput moved by rail, and around 50 freight train deliveries each week. 

Formerly home to a Shell oil refinery, DP World London Gateway Port is a £1.5 billion terminal capable of handling the largest deep-sea container ships.  

The scheme is worth £350 million, and it is hoped will boost the local economy, bolster supply chain resilience and increase capacity at DP World to accommodate the world’s largest vessels. 

Process 

A key and critical element of these works by McLaughlin & Harvey, is the construction of the new quay wall.  

It involves the installation of steel tubular piles through a combination of vibratory hammer and impact hammer piling techniques. 

To mitigate sound and vibration, McLaughlin & Harvey will use a non-metallic pad between the hammer and head of the pile, and, for compliance purposes, will use noise monitors inside and outside the site boundary.  

This package of works is currently programmed until July, depending on factors such as tide times and weather conditions.  

Related works  

Last year VolkerRail landed a series of upgrades and improvements at DP World London Gateway Port.  

  • Rail terminal improvements  
  • Replacing 700m of track   
  • A new switch and crossing unit  
  • Upgrading a second crossing unit 

Those works are due to be completed in the summer.   

Construction Wave contacted McLaughlin & Harvey for further details.  

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