 The revival of the Surrey Docks proved short-lived with the advent of containerization from the 1960s onwards.The new container ships were much too big to be accommodated in the upstream London docks and, with a few exceptions, most of the river trade moved downriver to Tilbury and other more modern ports around the country.The Surrey Docks closed in December 1970 and were sold to the London Borough of Southwark in 1977.