London Gateway will now handle calls for Sealand-Maersk’s North Sea service, which connects the key economies of Northern Europe with the Eastern Mediterranean.

DP World’s London container hub is now the UK port of call for two new major international shipping services, connecting Western Europe with the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and Russia.

Previously calling at the UK’s Suffolk coast, Sealand-Maersk shipping service has a 42-day rotation stretching from Western Europe to Cyprus, Egypt and Israel.

After London Gateway, the service calls at Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, Antwerp, Limassol, Ashdod, Alexandria, Haifa, Mersin, and finally at Port Said East before returning to London Gateway.

Also, London Gateway last month became the UK port of call for Unifeeder’s new St Petersburg service. Increasing its UK service in response to a growing demand for multimodal transport, Unifeeder has introduced an additional loop connecting the Benelux and Russian markets with Britain.

London Gateway is becoming a “vital gateway” for shortsea and feeder shipments to and from the UK, said a port spokesperson.

The new service has fixed day weekly connections on a rotation from London to Antwerp, St Petersburg, Bremerhaven and then back to London, offering connectivity with the entire Unifeeder network with multiple transhipment options.

Ernst Schulze, CEO of DP World in the UK, said: “We are delighted to welcome two new services to the most technologically advanced and fastest growing container port in the UK.

“We have the capacity to continue to prioritise delivering first class services for all existing customers at the same time as handling new sailings which expand customer choice.

“DP World in the UK is committed to being at the heart of Britain’s trading future, providing the right trading infrastructure and smart logistical solutions for our customers. We believe in the UK market and have the ambition and the resources to boost growth, support businesses, create jobs and improve living standards.”