The encyclopedia · Engineering & Operations · Technical decision · 2025–2026
DP World stacked empty containers 16-high in a box-bay vending machine
DP World's BOXBAY Empty Superstack stores 20/40-foot empty containers up to 16 tiers high in an enclosed automated rack, freeing the yard from moving them.
DP World · BOXBAY (DP World / SMS group)
the move
A container port's yard slowly fills with empty boxes that still have to be moved out of the way to reach full ones. London Gateway was spending yard space and crane moves on empties.
DP World's answer, built with Germany's SMS group, is a high-bay rack that holds empties up to 16 tiers high inside an automated, enclosed structure. It is described as a giant vending machine for containers.
Removing empties from the crane yard cuts rehandling and housekeeping, so the automated stacking cranes do productive work and trucks turn around faster. The £170 million installation can hold up to 27,000 TEU at the all-electric Berth 4.
why it works
- Empties are moved twice (set aside, then retrieved), so vertical storage removes a whole set of moves.
- A machine with a known slot costs less than a crane hunting through a stack.
- Faster truck turnaround raises terminal throughput without more land.
what transfers
When the item nobody needs right now (empty boxes, returns, spares) crowds your floor, store it vertically and let a machine fetch it, instead of laying it across the work surface.
what came after
The Empty Superstack is a major build at London Gateway's Berth 4, expected to take ~two years to complete. It is part of DP World's push into automated, high-density terminals and is pitched as a benchmark; whether it scales to older terminals depends on whether they can enclose and electrify yard space.
references
- DP World introduces groundbreaking container handling technology at London Gateway
- DP World introduces groundbreaking container handling technology at London Gateway
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