Business, Feature, Logistics, Sea

London on Sea

[ November 7, 2013   //   Chris ]

London Gateway handled its first scheduled vessel, the ‘MOL Caledon’ from South Africa on 7 November, the culmination of over a decade of planning and construction on three square miles of development on the Essex bank of the Thames.

The port’s owner, DP World, says that London Gateway is closer to many major population centres of the UK than other ports that are capable of handling the world’s biggest ships and gives the UK capital a world class port for the first time in a generation.

The ‘MOL Caledon’ on SAECS’ South Africa to Europe service was welcomed by chairman of London Gateway’s owners, DP World Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, vice chairman Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, group CEO Mohammed Sharaf and chairman of MOL Liner Junichiro Ikeda – plus shipper representatives JF Hillebrand MD David Mawer and Chingford Fruit MD Gavin McNally, together with other senior executives.

The first scheduled train from the new port, operated by Freightliner and loaded with wine imported by JF Hillebrand, rolled north for Daventry at 07.50 that maorning. A second train for Bristol, also Freightliner operated, was due to leave the same afternoon.

At the ceremonial opening, it was also revealed that the ‘incubator’ unit for logistics companies was oversubscribed two or three times.

(More on London Gateway in FBJ 8 2013, out mid-November)

 

Tags: DP World, Freightliner, London Gateway, MOL