Cargo owners and shipping lines attend ceremony and see three more giant quay cranes arrive
From Left: Simon Moore CEO DP World London Gateway and Alain Thauvette, Chairman DB Schenker Rail UK
DP World London Gateway has been honoured by rail freight operator DB Schenker Rail UK in a locomotive naming ceremony which took place at the rail terminal at the UK’s newest deep-sea container port and logistics park.
The ceremony, which coincided with the arrival of three more giant quay cranes, involved representatives from across the intermodal industry who were present to see the new nameplates, which bear the name ‘DP World London Gateway’, unveiled on a DB Schenker Class 66 locomotive (66185), by Simon Moore, CEO of DP World London Gateway.
DB Schenker Rail UK made history last week when it operated the first intermodal train from London Gateway to transport cargo from the fire damaged ship ZIM Rotterdam and the locomotive naming will further strengthen the partnership between DP World London Gateway and DB Schenker Rail UK, who will provide track maintenance and operational services at the new rail terminal from November.
The ‘DP World London Gateway’ locomotive is set to become a familiar sight on services operated by DB Schenker Rail UK who have reaffirmed their commitment to running trains to and from the port by announcing regular services to Trafford Park and Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal from day one of operations.
Carsten Hinne, Managing Director Logistics, DB Schenker Rail UK, said: “London Gateway is a huge investment that will boost the UK economy and revolutionise the maritime intermodal supply chain.
“London Gateway offers DB Schenker Rail UK a great opportunity to grow our intermodal business and we look forward to seeing the ‘DP World London Gateway’ locomotive providing the haulage power on our services to and from the port later this year.
“Winning the contract to provide track maintenance and operational services at this state-of-the-art rail terminal is of course an important milestone for DB Schenker Rail UK and it goes without saying that we are extremely appreciative of the support that our colleagues at DP World London Gateway have demonstrated from the start of this project.”
Simon Moore CEO DP World, said: “It’s an honour to have a train named after us. We were very pleased to be able to welcome DB Schenker, cargo owners and shipping lines to the event and witness first-hand the excellent working partnership in place between us.”
Guests were able to witness the arrival of three new quay cranes, bringing the total delivered to eight. Visitors and press were able to also receive a short briefing on the Zim Rotterdam.
Charles Meaby, Commercial Director DP World London Gateway, said: “The train naming ceremony has also been good for us as we’ve been able to show cargo owners and carriers that the port will be providing much more capability when the first scheduled vessel arrives in November, than we’ve been able to deliver for Zim Rotterdam. We will have automated VBS, new access roads, automated inspections for radiation, along with much more operational capability than we have today.”
About London Gateway
Opening in Q4 2013, London Gateway will be the UK’s first 21st Century major deep-sea container port and Europe’s largest logistics park. Owned and operated by DP World and situated on the north bank of the River Thames, London Gateway will provide unrivalled deep-sea shipping access to the largest consumer markets in the UK. The port’s location, with its superior operational systems and service, will ensure ships load and unload as fast as possible, making London Gateway a world class asset for the UK.
DP World has a dedicated, experienced and professional team of 28,000 people serving its customers around the world, and the company constantly invests in terminal infrastructure, facilities and people to provide quality services today and tomorrow, when and where customers need them. In taking this customer-centric approach, DP World is building on the established relationships and superior level of service demonstrated at its flagship Jebel Ali facility in Dubai, which has been voted “Best Seaport in the Middle East” for 19 consecutive years. www.dpworld.com
Xavier Woodward – London Gateway Communications Manager
Cell: + 44 (0)774 862 3423 or email Xavier.woodward@dpworld.com
Tom Conroy – London Gateway Communications Officer
Cell: + 44 (0)777 069 2139 or email tom.conroy@dpworld.com
Rob Smith – DB Schenker Rail UK Interim Head of Communications
(t): +44 (0) 1302 575795
(m): +44 (0) 7545 975991
Comments are closed.