Delaware Container Terminal Groundbreaking Marks $669M Port Expansion

Public-private partnership advances construction of one of the most transformative infrastructure and economic development projects in Delaware history.

DCT will significantly expand Delaware's container handling capacity, create thousands of local jobs, and strengthen supply chains across the region.

DCT will be a leading terminal for Northeast and US markets.

WILMINGTON, Del., Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Enstructure, a privately-owned marine terminal and logistics infrastructure company, and the Diamond State Port Corporation (DSPC) today celebrated the groundbreaking of the Delaware Container Terminal (DCT), the upcoming state-of-the-art container marine terminal in Wilmington. The milestone was celebrated alongside critical 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.

Pictured Left to Right
Fred Sears, Diamond State Board Corporation
Charuni Patibanda Sanchez, Delaware Secretary of State
Tom Carper, Former U.S. Senator
Jack Walsh, Delaware Senator
Franklin Cooke, Delaware Representative
Bill Ashe, President of International Longshoremen's Association 1694
Darious Brown, Delaware Senator
Philippe De Montigny, Co-CEO of Enstructure
Matthew Satnick, Co-CEO of Enstructure
Matt Meyer, Governor of Delaware
Ronald Kimoko Harris, Diamond State Board Corporation

Conceptual rendering of the Delaware Container Terminal (DCT) situated at the Edgemoor waterfront

"Since my time as County Executive, I've supported the Port of Wilmington and the workers who make it run," said U.S. Senator Christopher Coons. "Our port is an economic engine for our state, and this expansion will allow us to remain competitive regionally, grow our economy, create good jobs, and strengthen the supply chains on which we all rely. I'm proud to have pushed for funding for this expansion throughout my time in the Senate and am excited to see it come to life."

"The expansion of the Delaware Container Terminal at the Port of Wilmington will create more jobs for Delawareans, bolster our supply chain, and strengthen our infrastructure," said U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester. "I'm especially proud that this expansion implements cleaner energy practices made possible by the Clean Port Program — which I championed alongside my predecessor, Senator Tom Carper. I look forward to the new opportunities brought on by the DCT as the First State's global impact grows."

"This groundbreaking marks an exciting next chapter for Port Wilmington and represents a major milestone that our congressional delegation has been collaborating on and working towards for years," said U.S. Representative Sarah McBride. "The Delaware Container Terminal will create thousands of union jobs, strengthen our state's commerce capacity, and help Delaware businesses compete and grow. This modernization of Port Wilmington is a smart investment in working families, skilled trades, our economy, and Delaware's continued capacity to lead. I am proud to stand alongside my colleagues as we celebrate this historic advancement for Delaware's port infrastructure."

"The future doesn't just happen—we build it. Today, we put shovels in the ground on one of the largest economic development projects in Delaware history," said Delaware Governor Matthew Meyer. "This private and public investment will create thousands of good middle class union jobs, expand opportunity for Delaware workers and businesses, and establish Wilmington as a leading port on the global stage. The First State is once again showing that we can think big, build big, and lead."

"Today marks an exciting new chapter for Delaware. This groundbreaking is about more than building a container terminal – it's about building opportunity for Delaware workers and families," said Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, Delaware Secretary of State and Diamond State Port Corporation Board Chair. "This project will expand the capacity of our port, create thousands of good paying jobs, boost Delaware's role in global trade, and generate opportunities well into the future. After years of planning and hard work, I am excited to see this project get underway."

"This groundbreaking represents the transition from vision to execution," said Matthew Satnick and Philippe De Montigny, Co-CEOs of Enstructure. "Together with the Diamond State Port Corporation, the International Longshoremen's Association, and the Delaware Building Trades, we are delivering transformative infrastructure that will strengthen supply chains, expand capacity, and create new opportunities for customers across North America. This investment reflects our confidence in the long-term importance of resilient North American port and supply-chain infrastructure and our commitment to providing reliable, efficient, and innovative logistics solutions where they are needed most. We are grateful for the trust placed in this partnership and remain committed to delivering a modern container terminal that will drive economic growth and serve customers, communities, and the maritime industry for generations to come."

Located at the former Edgemoor industrial site, DCT will significantly expand Delaware's container handling capacity and will serve as a vital 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.

The project is projected to create thousands of jobs in the maritime, construction, supply chain and logistics industries, creating high-paying employment opportunities for Delaware families while also generating significant 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.

To date, Enstructure and DSPC have participated in over 30 community meetings and site tours and engaged with over 20 local organizations to share project information and gather feedback. These sessions have given residents and stakeholders direct access to project leaders, detailed information about the terminal's timeline, traffic, environmental remediation, construction impacts and job opportunities, and opportunities to ask questions as planning advances. Enstructure and the DSPC will continue to engage neighboring communities and local partners as the project advances to ensure the terminal supports shared prosperity and delivers lasting benefits for future generations.

DCT will incorporate state-of-the-art technology and 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.

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.

DCT represents a long-term investment in Delaware's maritime infrastructure and capabilities, designed to support evolving customer and market needs. As businesses and supply chains continue to evolve, DCT will position Delaware for growth and adaptability.

"Today is a proud day for Port Wilmington and for the generations of ILA members who have worked here over the years. For many families, the port has been more than just a place to work—it has provided a good living, put children through school, and created opportunities passed from one generation to the next," said William Ashe Jr., President of the International Longshoremen's Association 1694. "We're proud of the partnership we've built with Enstructure and the commitment we share to the future of this port. DCT gives us the chance to continue that tradition by creating new jobs and new opportunities for the next generation of workers. I think the men and women who worked these docks before us would be proud to see where Port Wilmington is headed."

"With the groundbreaking of the Delaware Container Terminal in Edgemoor, we are strengthening Delaware's position as a hub for good-paying, high-quality union jobs that will drive economic opportunity for generations," said Senator Jack Walsh, co-chair of the Joint Capital Improvement Committee. "For a century, our brothers and sisters in the Delaware Building Trades and the ILA have been an essential part of Port Wilmington. This expansion will allow them to continue that legacy while playing a critical role in an operation that will bring significant economic activity and opportunity to our State."

"Today is further proof that opportunity lives here in Delaware. This investment will position us as an international leader in commerce by connecting global markets to goods at the shortest distance across the Atlantic," said Senator Darius Brown, co-chair of the Port of Wilmington Expansion Task Force and member of the Diamond State Port Corporation Board. "The Delaware Container Terminal is a significant infrastructure investment that will not just support our economy as a whole, but will strengthen economic opportunity for working families across our state so that everyone may have a piece of our shared prosperity."