LONDON Gateway Port will be built on part of the site of the former Shell Haven oil refinery at Coryton near Corringham. Land will also be reclaimed from the Thames estuary to help form the port.

DP World and Shell are collaborating to develop a major Logistics and Business Park on a separate part of the site.

Together, the two schemes are expected to create up to 14,000 new jobs and help drive forward the Thames Gateway regeneration initiative in Thurrock. The proposals anticipate that the first container berths will be operational by 2010 and the first business units occupied within 12-18 months.

FACTFILE

Shellhaven Shellhaven is a 607 hectare (1,500 acre) brown-field site with a two mile River Thames frontage.

The site has been used as a port since the 16th century.

Since the oil refinery ceased production in 1999, Shell has embarked on a £50 million clearance of the site - one of the largest brown-field site preparation programmes in Europe.

With nearly three miles of river frontage, excellent road and rail links, and a location close to London and the UK's south east market, London Gateway is ideally located for port use.

It is estimated that the final destination of a quarter of the containers currently imported into the UK is within a 25 mile (40km) radius of Shellhaven.

It already has a direct dual carriageway link to London and the M25 motorway network and a rail connection to the UK rail network.

London Gateway will provide capacity for 30 per cent of its goods to travel by rail.

London Gateway Port The proposed London Gateway Port will be capable of handling the largest deep-sea container ships.

DP World's proposals include a 2,300 metre long container quay with a fully-developed capacity of 3.5 million TEU (standard container units) a year.

The port is located on the major shipping lanes serving north west Europe.

Logistics and Business Park London Gateway Park is a Joint Venture between Shell and DP World and will cover a development area of 300 hectares (700 acres). It can accommodate buildings in excess of 100,000 sq m and offers linkage to the rail network.

Developers say high quality architecture and high levels of security will be key features of the park. Extensive landscaping on the site, including a protected habitat' zone around the Park will create an attractive environment for occupiers.

Dubai Ports World Dubai-based DP World took on the development of the London Gateway projects with its acquisition of P&O in March 2006. DP World is part of a larger group that includes P&F World, Nakheel, Istithmar and the holding company Dubai World.

DP World is one of the largest marine terminal operators in the world with 42 terminals spanning 22 countries.

In early 2006, DP World acquired P&O, including P&O Ports. The combined 2006 throughput of the company was around 42 million* TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units) from the Americas to Asia, with global capacity of more than 48 million TEU.

That capacity is set to increase significantly in coming years with a committed pipeline of expansion and development projects in key growth markets, including India, China and the Middle East. Capacity will rise to around 84 million TEU by 2016.

DP World faced hostility in America where right win elements were concerned about the fact they an Arab company had taken control of several key seaports, prompting security fears.