The first ship to call at London Gateway under the agreement was the Maersk Stadelhorn, operating on the Gemini ME2 / IEX India-Europe service. The route includes calls at Hamburg, Tanger Med, Colombo, Kamarajar, Algeciras and Rotterdam.
The Gemini Cooperation was launched to improve service reliability on East-West trade routes. According to the alliance, it achieved 90% schedule reliability in its first month of operation. Once fully operational, the network will include 57 services with a combined TEU capacity of up to 3.7 million, accounting for nearly 12% of global container shipping capacity. Both DP World’s UK deep-sea container terminals—London Gateway and Southampton—will be part of the Gemini network.
The start of the Gemini service at London Gateway follows its earlier debut at DP World Southampton in February, when the MV Leonidio departed for Northern Europe and North America on the AL1 / AT3 transatlantic route.
DP World has announced that the London Gateway expansion project will add two additional 400-metre all-electric berths and a second rail terminal. Once completed, the terminal will be able to accommodate six of the world’s largest container ships simultaneously. The project, which forms part of the Thames Freeport, will also introduce Europe’s tallest quay cranes.
The company stated that the expansion will be completed within four years. The development is expected to create 1,000 construction jobs and 400 permanent roles at the port.
The investment was first announced by DP World CEO and Group Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem at the UK Government’s International Investment Summit in October 2024. Regulatory approvals were secured in cooperation with Thurrock Council and the UK Marine Management Organisation.
According to DP World, it has invested more than £5 billion in its UK operations to date, supporting over 5,500 jobs.
The launch of the Gemini service and the upcoming expansion are both part of DP World’s broader strategy to strengthen London Gateway’s role in UK and international trade. The company is exhibiting at the Multimodal 2025 logistics trade event, alongside Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.