London Gateway Port

Work is underway on the development of London Gateway Port – a £1.5 billion scheme to create a terminal capable of handling the largest deep-sea container ships.

Dredging of the approaches to the site, on the Essex bank of the Thames started in March 2010.   Formerly home to a Shell oil refinery, the development is located close to the UK’s largest consumer markets in London and the South East.

DPWorld’s development of the landside facilities will be in line with market demand.  Ultimately the development will feature a 2,700 metre-long container quay with a fully developed capacity of 3.5 million TEU (standard container units) a year.  It will then be the largest multi-modal logistics and business park in the South East of England.

PLA is working actively to support DP World as it develops the project through services including diving, salvage and hydrographic surveying.  The authority is also monitoring the various licences and tidal works approval that apply to the scheme and providing advice to DPWorld as it works on the development.

PLA diver and archaeological finds

In preparations for the dredging of the approach channel for the port, PLA divers worked to identify and investigate for archaeological importance more than 400 obstructions so that a strategy could be agreed with English Heritage for their removal or preservation.

On sites that are considered of major archaeological significance, the PLA has been working closely with Wessex Archaeology, with whom it cooperated during the 2004 raising of the remains of the bow section of a 16th century sailing ship discovered in the Princes Channel.  Historically significant items were raised in dives completed during 2007, well in advance of the start of dredging.