DCT Gdańsk to increase its annual handling capacity up to 4.5 million TEU
DCT Gdańsk, the largest container on the Baltic Sea, is planning a significant investment in developing its facilities. Around 450 million euros will be allocated to implementing the Baltic Hub 3 project, the third deep-water quay in the Port of Gdańsk. The new installation will increase the handling capacity of the terminal up to 4.5 million TEU annually.
In the second quarter of 2022, DCT Gdańsk will start the construction of the third deep-water quay in the Port of Gdańsk. The new facility, which is also known as the ‘Baltic Hub 3’ and is valued at 2 billion złoty or around 450 million euros, will have a length of 717 metres, a depth of 18 metres and a yard of 36 hectares. By mid-2024, the new quay will become operational. This will result in a significant increase in the handling capacity of the terminal, from 3 to 4.5 million TEU annually.
Among the leaders
“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 neighbours. 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,” said Charles Baker, CEO of DCT Gdańsk.
To compete with Europe’s leading harbours, the Baltic Hub 3 project also includes the purchase of 7 quay cranes that are able to handle the world’s largest container ships, and 20 semi-automated Rail Mounted Gantry cranes for the container yard, which will be remotely operated by operators located in ergonomically-designed workspaces. This will allow for a safer, efficient, modern and more comfortable working environment 365 days of the year.
Two berths
The DCT Gdańsk terminal is jointly owned by PSA International (40 per cent), the Polish Development Fund (30 per cent) and IFM Global Infrastructure Fund advised by IFM Investors (30 per cent). Currently, it has two berths to handle containers: T1 and T2, which were put into operation in 2007 and 2016 respectively. Their joint length is 1.3 kilometres and the handling capacity is 3 million TEU annually. More than 600 container ships per year call at the terminal. The Baltic Hub 3 quay will be constructed east of the existing T1 berth. In 2020 DCT Gdańsk handled on two existing berths over 1.9 million TEU containers.