August 21st, 2008 · Comments
DP World, a Dubai-government controlled holding company and one of the largest marine terminal operators in the world, awarded a £400m contract yesterday to British firm Laing O’Rourke and Belgium’s Dredging International for the development of the first phase of the new port at London Gateway and is the first major contract granted for the £1.5 billion project.
London Gateway will be Uk’s first deep sea container port for over 25 years and offers an exciting opportunity for the UK economy and shipping industry as a whole. It is set to be the most technologically advanced container port in the world and will be fully integrated with Europe’s largest logistics park.
The 1500 acre site is situated on the north bank of the River Thames near Thurrock in Essex. London Gateway will provide unrivalled shipping access for the world’s leading businesses through an integrated road, rail and sea network.
The project will lead to the creation of over 12,000 new jobs and will eventually handle an estimated 3.5 million TEU’s per year to help meet recognized demand for extra container capacity in the UK.
Actual construction will begin later this year and the logistics park is due to open in the second of of 2010, with the first ships are said to be arriving early 2011.
Sources: DP World, AFP,
Tags: · dubai, economy, london, london_gateway, port, teu
August 14th, 2008 · Comments
John Clandillon-Baker of pilotmag has been featured along with his fellow London pilot (retired) Geoff Taylor in an article written by Libby Purves of The Times. This quote seemed to ring particularly true;
The human aspect of the job fascinated me. “I know what I’m getting into, from the first rung of the ladder and the angle of the captain’s head,” says Geoff. “I’m a psychologist, have to be. You get a sense of the ship – is it well run, is it happy, is it tense, how has it been for that month at sea? Is the master assertive or co-operative?” “Or bonkers,” says a Thames pilot. “A bad ship, you feel the rust on the ladder, you look up at the scruffy individual at the top who looks as if he’d like to stick a knife in you . . .” “You smell it,” says another.
The article can be found HERE and be sure to check back for a link to the BBC radio show of the same title.
Tags: · bbc, bbc_radio, human_aspect, london, pilot, psychologist
February 26th, 2008 · Comments
The AP tells of an earthquake at 18:05GMT today located at 125 miles north of London England:
An earthquake struck Britain early Wednesday and was felt across large parts of the country. No injuries or damage were immediately reported.
The 4.7-magnitude quake struck at about 1 a.m. and was centered about 125 miles north of London, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“It was like a huge freight train outside the front door,” Sky News reporter Lukwesa Burak reported from Leicestershire in central England. “The entire house seemed to shake.”
Live Earthquake Maps:
Google Earth - Past 2 Weeks Data
Live Earthquake data - past 2 weeks
If your looking for the latest information try these links:
Tags: · earthquake, england, england earthquake, london, london earthquake
February 2nd, 2008 · Comments
The stats for January are in and we would like to Congratulate and Thank our readers from London who, with 937 unique visitors, have squeezed out Houston, New York, Sydney and San Francisco for the title of most readers worldwide.
Here are the stats broken down by city: [Continue Reading →]
Tags: · analytics, london, reader count
