THE operator of Thurrock's London Gateway port and adjacent logistics park has picked up a major logistics industry award.

DP World has won the prestigious 'Sustainability Company of the Year' award at Multimodal 2023, the logistics industry's flagship event in the UK.

It also picked up the 'Port Company of the Year' award for the second time in three years.

UK Chief Executive of DP World, Ernst Schulze, said: "Our ambition is to become the most sustainable logistics business in the UK, and I am delighted that the judges have formally recognised the progress that we have made.

"We will mitigate the impacts of climate change by becoming a net zero logistics organisation by 2050 and continue to do everything we can to help customers on their own decarbonisation journeys.

"Above all, I'd like to thank the teams responsible for delivering initiatives like our £12m investment at London Gateway in the first all-electric fleet of straddle carriers to go into commercial operation at a port anywhere in the world."

One of the new straddle carriers.

DP World is investing in eight new straddle carriers to service the new fourth berth at the port.

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The new machines will be part of the first all-electric fleet in the world to go into commercial operation at a port. Each straddle carrier, which moves containers handled by the quay cranes and then services onward forms of transport via road and rail, reduces carbon emissions by 54% compared with non-electric models.

The port says it is a figure that will increase over time as London Gateway continues to transition its electricity supply to zero carbon sources.

Andrew Bowen, UK Chief Operating Officer at DP World, said: "After three years of successful trials at London Gateway in an operational environment, we are delighted to announce that we have placed a £12m order for eight fully electric straddle carriers.

"This news represents the culmination of four years of work in partnership with Kalmar, with whom we first converted a hybrid straddle carrier into a fully electric machine in 2019.

"These straddle carriers are capable of operating for up to four hours without needing to be recharged and when required the battery can be charged in just 45 minutes.

"This latest investment in green innovation reinforces DP World's commitment to mitigating the impacts of climate change by becoming a net zero logistics organisation by 2050."