Groundbreaking for $669M East Coast container terminal

For Delaware, a state with a relatively small industrial base, the stakes are high: Supporters see DCT as a generational investment that could anchor a new logistics and distribution corridor along the I-95 spine, while critics warn of overcapacity and intensified competition in an already crowded mid-Atlantic port market.

DCT alone is designed to handle 1.2 million TEUs per year, served by 2,700 feet of quay, seven ship-to-shore gantry cranes, and 26 rubber-tired gantry cranes for yard operations. The 45-foot berth depth will allow calls by post-Panamax vessels of up to 16,000 TEUs, putting it among the top tier of East Coast terminals.

The project is one of several container terminal projects under development at locations stretching from the Gulf to the Eastern Seaboard. The $1.8-billion Louisiana International Terminal just received federal permits for an all-new box hub near New Orleans, and Mediterranean Shipping Co. is building a terminal on the site of a redeveloped steel mill in neighboring Baltimore. 

State and port officials have long pitched the project as an economic catalyst for Delaware, particularly for Wilmington and surrounding communities. Projections estimate the terminal will create nearly 6,000 new jobs once fully operational, including more than 3,100 direct positions for longshore workers, equipment operators, warehouse workers, and related roles.

Construction itself is expected to generate about 3,900–4,000 jobs and roughly $42 million in state and local tax revenue during the buildout. At full capacity, Port Delaware could support around 11,480 total jobs and generate about $76.2 million annually in state and local taxes, according to state and industry estimates.

Gov. Matt Meyer and supporters from both major political parties  have emphasized that many of the port’s direct jobs pay well above the regional median, with some longshoremen earning more than $100,000 a year.

DCT is being marketed as a “green port,” with all-electric terminal equipment, shore-power connections for vessels (“cold ironing”), and energy-efficient lighting and buildings intended to reduce emissions compared with conventional diesel-powered terminals. The design also includes a new truck gate complex, a 100,000-square-foot warehouse, expanded reefer plug capacity, and direct rail access to support intermodal freight movements.

The Port of Wilmington is served by Class I railroads Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) and CSX (NASDAQ: CSX). NS operates dedicated local turns into the port from its Edgemoor yard just east of Wilmington, and offers double‑stack intermodal service from the port to major Midwest markets. CSX also serves the port and provides connections to midwestern, southern, and southeastern U.S. destinations via its Philadelphia Subdivision and Wilsmere yard west of the city.

Highway access via I-495, I-95, I-295, and the New Jersey and Pennsylvania turnpikes is a key selling point for shippers looking to move containers into the Philadelphia, South Jersey, and Mid-Atlantic markets.

The project has faced stiff opposition from established port operators in New Jersey and Philadelphia, who argue that adding a major new container terminal so close to their facilities will fragment traffic and strain the river’s navigation channel.

In July 2026, port companies owned by the Holt family, which operate facilities in Camden and Philadelphia, filed a new lawsuit challenging the federal permits for DCT, raising maritime-safety and environmental concerns. That suit follows earlier litigation that succeeded in 2024 in having the permits vacated, delaying the project by nearly two years before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reissued them this spring.

Enstructure and state officials maintain that the terminal has undergone extensive environmental review and that the deeper channel and modern design will improve safety and efficiency on the Delaware River, in reporting by local media.

The terminal is being built in phases, with the first waterside phase targeted for completion by the end of 2028. At that point, DCT is expected to be operating at about 40% of its ultimate 1.2 million-TEU capacity, with additional cranes, yard equipment, and backland infrastructure added as cargo volumes ramp up.

If the project stays on schedule, the first containers could move through Edgemoor by late 2028, positioning the gateway to compete more directly with the Port of New York-New Jersey and other East Coast gateways for trans-Pacific and intra-East Coast services.

Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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