Construction has officially started on what will be Delaware’s largest maritime infrastructure project, the $669 million Delaware Container Terminal (DCT). State officials expect the facility to improve the state’s cargo-handling abilities and create thousands of well-paying jobs, though the project faces legal challenges from competing port operators.
The DCT, located on 137 acres of former DuPont industrial property along the Delaware River in Edgemoor, reached the major construction stage in 2026 after years of permitting battles. A 2024 court ruling that temporarily yanked federal permits for dredging and seawall construction caused major delays on the project. The permits were reissued by federal authorities in April 2026, clearing the way for work on the terminal’s waterside infrastructure.
The channel is now being dredged to 45 feet, a new seawall and high deck are being built, and foundations are being laid for an all-electric container terminal built around the latest cargo-handling technology.
The project is being developed as a public-private partnership between the state-owned Diamond State Port Corp. (DSPC) and terminal operator Enstructure, which operates facilities at the nearby Port of Wilmington. The two operations will be combined under the “Port Delaware” name when the new terminal and the upgraded Wilmington facility are complete.
Combined, the facilities are expected to provide annual capacity of up to 1.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
A formal groundbreaking ceremony is expected by Sept. 14.
The project represents a huge economic gamble for Delaware. Supporters say the terminal is a generational investment that could create a new logistics and distribution corridor along the I-95 corridor. But critics respond that the extra capacity could exacerbate overcapacity and raise competition in an already crowded Mid-Atlantic port market.
The DCT itself is designed to process up to 1.2 million TEUs annually. The facility will include 2,700 feet of quay, seven ship-to-shore gantry cranes and 26 rubber-tired gantry cranes for yard operations.
The terminal would be able to handle post-Panamax vessels up to 16,000 TEUs with a planned berth depth of 45 feet, which would make the facility among the larger container terminals on the U.S. East Coast.
The Delaware project is also part of a larger wave of container-terminal developments from the Gulf Coast to the Eastern Seaboard. Louisiana’s $1.8 billion Louisiana International Terminal recently received federal approval for a new container hub entirely separate from the Port of New Orleans. Meanwhile, Mediterranean Shipping Co. is building another terminal on the site of a redeveloped steel mill in nearby Baltimore.
A major economic bet for Delaware
State and port officials have consistently presented the DCT as a potential economic engine for Delaware, particularly for Wilmington and surrounding communities.
Current projections indicate that the terminal could create nearly 6,000 new jobs once it reaches full operation. More than 3,100 of those positions are expected to be direct jobs involving longshore workers, equipment operators, warehouse employees and other port-related occupations.
The construction phase itself is expected to generate approximately 3,900 to 4,000 jobs while producing around $42 million in state and local tax revenue during the buildout.
At full capacity, the broader Port Delaware operation is projected to support approximately 11,480 jobs and generate about $76.2 million each year in state and local taxes, according to state and industry estimates.
Gov. Matt Meyer, together with supporters from both major political parties, has highlighted the earning potential associated with port employment. Some longshore workers, supporters note, can earn more than $100,000 annually, putting many direct port jobs well above the regional median income.
An all-electric container terminal
Environmental considerations are also central to the project’s design. DCT is being promoted as a “green port,” with terminal equipment powered entirely by electricity, shore-power connections allowing vessels to shut down onboard engines while at berth, and energy-efficient lighting and buildings.
The objective is to reduce emissions compared with conventional diesel-powered container terminals.
The development will also include a new truck gate complex, a 100,000-square-foot warehouse, additional refrigerated-container plug capacity and direct rail access designed to facilitate intermodal freight movements.
Rail connectivity will be supported by two Class I railroads serving the Port of Wilmington: Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) and CSX (NASDAQ: CSX).
Norfolk Southern operates dedicated local turns from its Edgemoor yard, located just east of Wilmington, into the port. The railroad also provides double-stack intermodal services connecting the port with major markets across the U.S. Midwest.
CSX likewise serves the port, providing connections to destinations across the Midwest, South and Southeast through its Philadelphia Subdivision and Wilsmere yard west of Wilmington.
The terminal’s highway connections are another major selling point for logistics operators. Access to I-495, I-95 and I-295, as well as the New Jersey and Pennsylvania turnpikes, is expected to facilitate container movements into Philadelphia, South Jersey and wider Mid-Atlantic markets.
Opposition from neighboring ports
But the project is facing tough opposition from entrenched port operators in New Jersey and Philadelphia.
But critics say another large container terminal so close to existing terminals could split cargo flows and add to the load on navigation infrastructure along the Delaware River.
The legal fight was renewed in July 2026 when the port companies of the Holt family, which run facilities in Camden and Philadelphia, filed another lawsuit challenging the federal permits issued for the DCT.
The lawsuit raises questions of maritime safety and environmental impact. ” This follows previous litigation that successfully overturned the permits in 2024, delaying the project by nearly two years.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reissued the required permits in the spring of 2026 after the court ruling, and construction resumed.
The terminal has already undergone extensive review of its impacts on the environment, enstructure and Delaware state officials say. The deeper navigation channel and terminal’s modern design is expected to improve safety and operational efficiencies along the Delaware River, they say.
First containers targeted for late 2028
Construction of the Delaware Container Terminal is being carried out in phases. The first waterside phase is currently targeted for completion by the end of 2028.
At that stage, the terminal is expected to operate at approximately 40% of its eventual 1.2 million-TEU capacity. Additional cranes, yard equipment and backland infrastructure will be introduced progressively as cargo volumes increase.
If the construction schedule remains on track, the first containers could pass through the Edgemoor facility by late 2028.
That would give Delaware a new container gateway capable of competing more directly with the Port of New York-New Jersey and other major East Coast gateways for trans-Pacific and intra-East Coast shipping services.
For Delaware, the project therefore represents more than the construction of a new container terminal. It is a long-term attempt to establish the state as a more significant player in the East Coast logistics network, while the legal and competitive battles surrounding the development remain far from settled.
