It was announced earlier this week that the US Army Corps of Engineers has issued permits to the Diamond State Port Corporation, allowing the planned development of the Delaware Container Terminal in Edgemoor to advance.
The project had been stalled for about 18 months after a US District judge invalidated permits needed for dredging and other activities critical to the work. The court action was in response to a challenge lodged by Pennsylvania officials seeking to protect their port interests.
The new container terminal site is located east of I-495, about three miles north of the current Port of Wilmington, on a brownfield once occupied by DuPont’s Edgemoor plant. The $669 million project, financed mostly with private money, with significant state and federal assistance, will build a modern container terminal capable of handling vessels carrying up to 16,000 20-foot shipping containers each.
The facility is being developed in conjunction with Enstructure, which owns 22 marine terminals nationwide. It began managing port operations in August 2023 under a public-private partnership.
Wilmington’s strategic location along the Northeast Corridor is bolstered by a significant benefit for ship operators. The new terminal will be closer to the ocean than container facilities in Philadelphia and Baltimore. These competing venues are also reportedly operating at close to their maximum capacities.
Following a tour of the port last April, State Rep. Tim Dukes (R-Laurel) said the impact of its expansion will ripple throughout the state. “My district in southwest Sussex is about as far away from the port as you can get,” he said. “But even Sussex County will experience benefits from this project. For instance, there are poultry companies that are currently exporting through Baltimore that will be able to use this facility to handle their shipping in the future.”
