William E. Cleary Sr. | Clearys Notebook News
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE (September 18, 2026)–Located at the former Edgemoor industrial site, DCT will handle containers, retail goods and perishable commodities, nearly doubling container capacity across the Delaware River port complex. The terminal will also provide ocean carriers and cargo owners with access to Class I rail services and major highways, including I-495, I-95, I-295, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Construction on the $669 million Delaware Container Terminal (DCT) officially broke ground on September 14, 2026, at the former Edgemoor industrial site in Wilmington, Delaware. Developed via a partnership between Enstructure and the Diamond State Port Corporation, the 137-acre project targets an early 2029 opening. [1, 2]
RELATED: https://gloucestercitynews.net/2026/08/cnbnews-august-cheers-jeers/
Project Overview
- Investment: US$669 million total (including backing from Enstructure, the State of Delaware, and federal Clean Ports grants).
- Capacity & Specs: Designed to handle up to 1.2 million TEU annually with a 2,700-foot quay and 45-foot water depth.
- Equipment: Planned with electric ship-to-shore and rubber-tyred gantry cranes to utilize zero-emission cargo handling. [1, 2]
Affiliates of Holt Logistics Corp. have filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to halt construction of the Delaware Container Terminal at Edgemoor.
The legal challenge claims that the federal agency arbitrarily reissued dredging and seawall permits without adequately addressing how large cargo ships navigating the new facility will obstruct the main shipping channel.
The Holt family’s operation in New Jersey, located in Paulsboro, and Gloucester City and also in Philadelphia at Packer Avenue is nearly 100 miles further up the Delaware River. Delaware state officials and labor unions suggests the real reason for the Holt’s court action is because their marine terminals are going to lose business. Up until now the Holt family has had no real competition.
An AI search shows the container terminal in Wilmington is 65 miles inland, and it cuts about 25 to 35 miles off the upriver transit compared to the terminals in Paulsboro, Gloucester City, and Packer Avenue. [1] Not only will the DCT operation cut travel and fuel cost for the container ships it will also be more modern as the cranes and fork lifts used to unload and load the ships will be all electric.
To reach these container and cargo terminals from the mouth of the Delaware Bay (the Atlantic Ocean entrance marked by Cape May and Cape Henlopen), ships must navigate a federally maintained shipping channel up the bay and river. Measured in river miles (RM) from the ocean entrance, the transit distances are as follows: [1]
Earlier this year the family stopped a shipbuilder from South Korea who wanted to use space at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal. That project would have created 1,000 plus jobs for welders and ironworkers.
THE POWER OF THE HOLT FAMILY
AUGUST 2026-The Holt family’s influence over regional port operations surfaced again this week. According to reporting in The Philadelphia Inquirer,Holt Logistics successfully blocked Hanwha — the Korean shipbuilder currently operating on a 110‑acre site in South Philadelphia — from expanding into the Paulsboro Marine Terminal. Hanwha officials said the Paulsboro site would have solved their space constraints and positioned the company to compete for major U.S. Navy contracts. With the deal halted, Hanwha is now shifting its search to southern states along the Atlantic Coast.
HANWHA PLANNED A $5 BILLION SOUTH JERSEY INVESTMENT
Some parts of this article were writted with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies.