London Thamesport, Deep water container port in Kent, England
London Thamesport is a deep water container port on the River Medway in Kent, England. The terminal has several gantry cranes running along a long dockside built to handle large ocean-going container ships.
The site was once known as Port Victoria and later became home to a Kent oil refinery that closed in 1982. After the refinery shut down, the land was converted into the container terminal that opened in 1990.
The name London Thamesport suggests a location on the Thames, but the port actually sits on the River Medway, which often surprises first-time visitors. The name reflects a commercial choice rather than a geographical fact, made to appeal to international shipping clients.
The port is an active industrial site and is not open to the general public, so access is restricted to authorised personnel. Those interested in watching the cranes and vessels from a distance can find viewpoints along the riverbank nearby.
During the construction of the Channel Tunnel in the late 1980s, the port was used to handle segments built for the tunnel project. This made it a little-known link in one of the largest engineering projects Europe had seen, even though it sits far from the tunnel entrance.
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