photo: Port of Gdańsk Authority/DCT Gdańsk and the Port of Gdańsk enter a new era of container handling on the Baltic Sea
In the fall of last year, the Port of Gdańsk Authority launched a tender procedure to select the lessees for a new port area that will be created within the boundaries of the Port in the Gdańsk Bay. This week, the tender committee officially announced the lease had been awarded to DCT Gdańsk S.A.
DCT Gdańsk is the largest container terminal on the Baltic Sea. Since the start of its operations in 2007, two deep-water quays (T1 and T2 – launched in 2007 and 2016 respectively) have been built with a total capacity of 3 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
From the terminal’s beginnings to becoming one of the 15 largest container terminals in Europe in 2020 – this significant milestone will be the next step in DCT Gdańsk’s history.
With the construction of the new terminal, known as “Baltic Hub 3”, a third deep-water quay located at the new port area will be created, increasing the handling capacity of DCT Gdańsk by 1.5 million TEUs, to 4.5 million TEUs. The investment is worth Euro 450 million, and the third deep-water quay will be 717-meter-long with a depth of 18.0m and 36 hectares of the yard will be built.
“The offer, followed by the choice of such a conscious investor as DCT from the PSA group, i.e., one of the world’s largest container terminal operators, proves the enormous potential of the Port of Gdańsk and the Polish economy. Not only are we the largest Polish port, but today we are becoming the Super Port of Gdańsk, which Poland can be proud of. We prove that Poland is a country that can successfully compete in the logistics and transport market with the largest ports in Europe. This is another great success and another result of our hard work. We prove that it is worth taking advantage of the opportunity offered by the Port of Gdańsk. Thanks to the construction of the Baltic Hub, the port was, is, and will be the commercial window of Poland to the world,” says Łukasz Greinke, President of the Port of Gdańsk.
The construction is planned to start in 2Q2022 and Baltic Hub 3 is scheduled to be operational by mid-2024. The Port of Gdańsk Authority and DCT Gdańsk emphasize that the investment will be carried out with respect for the surrounding environment and the local community.
When completed, DCT Gdańsk will be among the largest container terminals in Europe in terms of handling capacity and be able to continue serving and supporting the fast-growing Polish economy, the Central and Eastern European (CEE), and the Baltic countries.
“With the construction of Baltic Hub Terminal 3, Poland can continue to compete with western European ports such as Hamburg and Rotterdam. Adding a third quay will allow the terminal to serve not only the Polish market but also the entire Baltic region and Poland’s land-locked neighbors. Historically, when we talked about major ports in North Range, it was always Hamburg – Le Havre Range. DCT Gdańsk, growing rapidly, has extended that range to Gdańsk, Poland, and the Baltic,” says Charles Baker, CEO of DCT Gdańsk.