NINE years after the first was taken off a ship, the London Gateway port on the Thames in Thurock has just handled its ten millionth container.

The milestone continues the growth of the port - which still has room for more quayside berths in a staged expansion programme. A new £350m berth will further increase capacity by a third when it opens in 2024. In the past year the port handled 1.8m containers, an increase of almost 650 per cent compared with its first full year of operation in 2014. Operators DP World announced in July that London Gateway handled more than one million in six months between January and June.

UK Chief Executive of DP World, Ernst Schulze, said: "After the disruption of recent years, shipping lines and cargo owners are looking for capacity, reliability and growth opportunities. We are providing it, enabling customers to move goods smoothly and efficiently in and out of the UK and across their supply chains."

"Within a decade, London Gateway is likely to be handling up to 30 per cent of the country's containerised trade. Its port-centric logistics park will be one of the largest in Europe, employing 12,000 people and underpinned by investment in a second rail terminal and a new fourth berth."

DP World operates the UK's most advanced logistics hubs: two deep water ports at London Gateway and Southampton with access to freight rail terminals. By offering a choice of deep-water entry and exit points to and from UK, the leading provider of smart logistics solutions offers greater flexibility and choice for shipping lines, cargo owners and exporters.