Construction work is scheduled to commence later this year, following a harbour empowerment order from the British Government's Department for Transport (DfT). DP World's plans include a 2,300m long container quay with a fully developed capacity of 3.5 million standard container units a year.

DP World said the DfT had issued the Harbour Empowerment Order for London Gateway, which enables official and statutory powers to the new port. The project is currently the largest capital investment initiative in the UK and will become the largest employment creation project in the country.

London Gateway will act as a national hub port for the UK and will accommodate the world’s largest container ships. The port will also be the most fully automated an container port in the UK, and help meet recognised demand for extra container capacity.