Expansion at the terminal in Southampton: operator DP World is investing £60 million in four new container cranes, the largest in Europe.
They are designed to handle ships of up to 24,000 TEU and installation is scheduled to begin in mid-2026.
At over 95 m, the cranes will be taller than the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and weigh 2,000 tons. The tallest container cranes in Europe will be able to perform so-called “quad lifts”, whereby two 40-foot containers are moved in a single hoist. This should significantly reduce the time required to load and unload large container ships. They have an operating life of around 25 years and are an important investment in future-proofing DP World Southampton’s trading capacity.
Aart Hille Ris Lambers, Vice President – Commercial, Ports & Terminals at DP World in the UK, said: “Our order for these new large cranes comes at a crucial time for DP World Southampton. We are constantly innovating and investing to improve our operations and provide a smooth and efficient service to our customers who operate the largest container ships in the world. As our productivity and throughput rates in Southampton continue to increase year on year and we develop our nationwide end-to-end supply chain network, we are always looking for ways to improve our infrastructure and offering to customers while serving the national interest.”
DP World significantly increased its throughput at both its Southampton and London Gateway sites in 2022 and 2023. Previously, the global company had created 11.5 hectares of container storage capacity, among other things. DP World operates in 78 countries and handles around 10% of the global container trade. Total handling capacity grew to over 100 million TEU for the first time in 2025.
