London Gateway's 'super-port' officially opened yesterday, just down the estuary from the Spinnaker offices.
We heard some brilliant facts on the launch, including:
- The first ship, the MOL Caledon, came from Cape Town and the first container off was delivering wine
- Tugs are still needed to help the container ships safely dock at the port (the Thames tides are significant)
- They dredged for 100km to create an adequate channel to enable the large ships (capable of shipping up to 22,00 containers; 400m long and 60m wide) to get to the port.
- The port has been 10 years in the making
We're certainly looking forward to seeing ships from the port going back and forth past our offices. Makes us feel very much as though we're at the heart of a shipping hub – even tucked away in our little corner of the UK.
Photo: London Gateway via Twitter
