DP World is continuing a major quay crane deployment programme across London Gateway and Southampton, with several deliveries taking place during 2026.
At Southampton, the first two new cranes arrived in June. A second pair is due to arrive in the week following the announcement, bringing the number of new cranes delivered to Southampton this year to four. Together, they represent an investment of around £60 million and will increase the terminal’s quay crane fleet to 16.
At London Gateway, two further cranes arrived fully assembled from Shanghai on 25 September. Each weighs more than 2,000 tonnes and stands nearly 150 metres high.
These cranes will be installed at the new all-electric Berth 5, currently under construction as part of DP World’s £1 billion expansion programme and scheduled to become operational in 2027.
A further two quay cranes are expected to arrive at London Gateway in the coming months, completing the equipment package planned for Berth 5.
The new cranes are capable of tandem lifting two 40 ft containers simultaneously and can service vessels of up to 24,000 TEU, allowing both terminals to handle the largest container ships currently operating.
“These new quay cranes represent another major investment in infrastructure, increasing capacity and improving efficiency for our customers,” said Kris Adams, CEO UK Ports & Terminals at DP World.
DP World said its combined operations at London Gateway and Southampton now handle around 46% of UK containerised trade.
In 2025, the two terminals handled more than 5 million TEU, with London Gateway alone processing a record 3 million TEU, up 50% year-on-year.
The wider London Gateway expansion will add two all-electric berths and a second rail terminal, taking the number of operational berths to six.
