Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

P&O Ferries owner DP World loses status as partner in Solent freeport

P&O Ferries owner DP World loses status as partner in Solent freeport

Exclusive: ministers confirm Emirati logistics giant no longer has central role after anger at sacking of 800 workers
The Dubai-based owner of P&O Ferries has lost its status as a formal partner in one of the government’s biggest freeport projects, after widespread public anger over the firing without notice of 800 workers last month.

Ministers have confirmed that DP World, the Emirati logistics giant behind P&O, no longer had a central role as a “partner” in the Solent freeport after the resignation of its UK commercial director from the scheme’s board last week.

It comes after questions in the Lords from the Green party peer Natalie Bennett who had asked the government what plans were being put in place to withdraw any freeport contracts as a result of the sackings.

Speaking for the government, Stephen Greenhalgh, a levelling up minister, responded on Wednesday night saying: “On 28 March 2022 DP World resigned from the Solent freeport board and are no longer a partner in the freeport consortium.”

The government has come under heavy pressure for its handling of employment rights and the role of DP World in critical UK infrastructure after P&O Ferries fired 800 crew members without consultation last month. The firm’s boss admitted to MPs the company broke the law on giving notice because “no union could accept our proposals”.

Last month the Guardian reported that DP World was in line to benefit from at least £50m of UK taxpayer support as part of its key role in the Solent and Thames freeports, leading to questions in parliament from Labour party leader Keir Starmer over the government’s priorities.

The funding of £25m per freeport, which is still subject to approval, will be paid to a lead local authority responsible for each of the 12 special tax and customs zones across the UK and is expected to be spent to benefit the entire freeport region.

DP World is the operator of the freight container terminal at the Port of Southampton, a part of the Solent freeport. However, it is more heavily involved as a partner in the Thames scheme, where it owns and runs the London Gateway port and logistics park which was designated as one of the government’s freeport tax sites last year.

Greenhalgh appeared to suggest in the Lords that the company still had a role as a partner in the Thames project. “The government is continuing to work to understand whether DP World or P&O Ferrymasters are in breach of any of the requirements on them as investors in the Thames freeport,” he told Bennett.

Last week DP World’s UK commercial director, Aart Hille Ris Lambers, quit the Solent freeport board amid local pressure, including from Portsmouth council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson, another of the 11 members on the Solent freeport board.

However, details of the end of the company’s role as a partner were not confirmed at the time. Alan Whitehead, the Labour MP for Southampton Test, whose constituency includes the freeport, said it was appropriate that DP World no longer had a formal role on the steering body given its track record on employment rights.

“It’s right that they take more of a back seat now. I don’t think it’s just the resignation of a director, the freeport consortium has decided that, and certainly that has my support,” he said.

DP World is still the operator of the port of Southampton, an integral part of the Solent freeport as the second-biggest container terminal in the UK. Covering a broad area including the cities of Southampton, Portsmouth and most of the Isle of Wight, the Solent freeport is expected to create 32,000 jobs while adding £3.6bn to the UK economy by boosting international trade.

“They’re not about to flee the port or anything, they’ll continue to operate the container terminal. But the freeport develops without their lead involvement. Among other things that’s a better guarantee that the terms and conditions in the freeport are likely to be better respected,” Whitehead said.

The government also said last week that Ernst Schulze, chief executive of DP World UK, was no longer part of the government’s post-Brexit trade advisory group created to support global business opportunities.

DP World has been approached for comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×