London Gateway contract signed

Construction work will begin later this year at the 1,500 acre site, just 25 miles from central London on the former Shell Haven oil refinery at Stanford-le-Hope near Thurrock, South Essex.

This is the first major contract to be awarded in the £1.5bn (US$2,8bn) project, due to be built over the next 10 to 15 years. The contract is over five years, and will see the construction of the first phase of the port’s quay providing three berths and over 1.2 kms of quay in a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke and Dredging International. The new port will eventually handle 3.5m teu, providing a much needed increase in capacity for the UK’s container terminals. The Thames will be dredged to enable the world’s largest ships to access the port, and to offer increased access closer to London for many other users of the River Thames.

Chief Executive of London Gateway, Simon Moore, said: “This contract is a major milestone in constructing the port. In an economic climate where the building industry is experiencing a sharp slow down, this is great news for Essex and the UK in general.