DP World have announced that Southampton, Britain’s second largest container terminal, will be benefitting from a major investment which will raise its significance as a premier international freight and logistics hub.
DP World Southampton is a part of DP World and a leading global provider of smart logistics. One of their two UK deep water ports were awarded Freeport status by the government last month. The new £40 million investment intended to improve infrastructure will provide customers with increased speed, security, reliability and flexibility. Changes to infrastructure will include:- Dredging and widening of the berths to ensure accommodation of the world’s largest ships. With the partnership of Associated British Ports, this project was completed before Easter and will provide flexibility for their customers with immediate effect.
- An investment in a new class of eleven hybrid straddle carriers totalling £10million. The vehicles are used to lift containers moved by the quay cranes and then service onward forms of transport via road and rail. This new class of machines will be the most sustainable in the world consuming up to 40% less fuel than its diesel-electric counterparts.
- Currently £3m is planned to be invested in the redevelopment of the yard for the storage and delivery of empty customer containers. This will increase capacity of the yard by 25% on completion, creating more flexibility for port users.
- A new Border Control Post (BCP) which includes UK Border Force and Port Health inspection facilities. This will enable multiple government agencies to improve the time they are taking on cargo checks entering the country.
- A £1.5m quay crane rail extension of 120 metres to ensure that all berths at the terminal will be serviced. In addition, other quay cranes will either be relocated or decommissioned to maximise efficiency, speed quayside loading and save time.