Enstructure, a privately-owned marine terminal and logistics infrastructure company, and the Diamond State Port Corporation (DSPC) celebrated the groundbreaking of the Delaware Container Terminal (DCT), the upcoming container marine terminal in Wilmington.
The milestone was celebrated alongside partners and collaborators including the State of Delaware, International Longshoremen’s Association, Delaware Building and Construction Trades Council, community stakeholders, and Delaware's congressional delegation. Following a successful multi-year collaboration and planning phase, DCT is on track to open in early 2029.
New Terminal Capacity
Located at the former Edgemoor industrial site, DCT will expand Delaware’s container handling capacity and will serve as a link for containers, retail goods, and perishable commodities. DCT will improve access to regional, national, and international supply chains while nearly doubling capacity along the Delaware River port complex. DCT will provide ocean carriers and cargo owners with a strategic location accessible by Class I rail service and major highways, including I-495, I-95, I-295, New Jersey Turnpike, and Pennsylvania Turnpike.
At full-scale, the terminal development will increase the physical capacity of the facility to accommodate larger vessels with a quay length of 2,700 feet and a depth of 45 feet. DCT is designed to accommodate container vessels with capacities of up to 16,000 TEUs, allowing 1.2 million TEUs to move through the terminal each year. DCT will have seven electric ship-to-shore gantry cranes and 24 electric rubber-tired gantry cranes to move container cargo, strengthening the region’s broader transportation network and improving access to goods.
DCT’s location in Wilmington and proximity to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and New York makes it an accessible, efficient gateway to the global shipping industry along the Northeast Corridor within a less congested section of the region, offering better service to customers. With 50 million consumers located within a 250-mile radius and 120 million consumers within a 500-mile radius, DCT will increase global access and provide cost-advantaged logistics to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast industrial markets.
Economic Value for Delaware
The project is projected to create thousands of jobs in the maritime, construction, supply chain and logistics industries, creating employment opportunities for Delaware families while also generating economic value throughout the region.
As a long-term investment in Delaware’s maritime industry, the project will expand opportunities extending well beyond the terminal’s 137-acre footprint. By increasing the state’s marine terminal capacity and ability to accommodate larger vessels, DCT will strengthen Delaware’s competitiveness and create lasting value for the state’s workers, families, businesses, and surrounding communities.
Green Port Facility
DCT will incorporate lower-emission operating practices. DCT will have electric cargo-handling equipment and supporting charging infrastructure, which will eliminate diesel exhaust, greenhouse-gas emissions and operating noise compared with conventional diesel-powered equipment.
The project will maintain an emissions inventory and comply with applicable air, water, waste-management and environmental-monitoring requirements. Clean Ports funding will also support performance monitoring and the collection and analysis of operational data to measure results and refine implementation over time. These investments are designed to reduce emissions in and around the port, improve air quality for port workers and neighboring communities, and support public engagement, workforce training, and operational safety. Enstructure also participates in Green Marine, the maritime industry’s leading voluntary environmental-certification program which requires annual environmental performance assessment, independent verification, published results, and continual improvement on issues including air, water and soil quality, biodiversity protection, and community relations.
Public-Private Partnership
DCT is a public-private partnership between Enstructure and the state of Delaware through DSPC. DSPC owns the site, while Enstructure is responsible for the project’s development and will operate the facility under a long-term concession agreement upon expected completion in 2029.
The project represents a total investment of $669 million, including $225 million invested by Enstructure and $325 million invested from the State of Delaware, plus $119 million in federal grants via Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, which was awarded to the State of Delaware to deploy zero-emission port equipment at DCT through the EPA’s Clean Ports Grant Program. The grant also includes investment in preparing and maintaining an emissions inventory, in addition to community engagement and workforce development.
