DCT Gdansk Expansion Creates One of EU's Largest Container Terminals

The Port of Gdansk, Poland is set to cement its position as a top maritime hub in the Baltic following the award of a contract to build a new $245 million container terminal.

Spanish multinational company Ferrovial has announced that its Polish subsidiary Budimex - in a consortium with Dredging International - has been awarded the contract to build the terminal in the deepwater port of Gdansk.

DCT Gdansk, which is the largest container terminal operator in the Baltic Sea, selected the companies to build its third deep-water terminal, known as the T3 project. When T3 is completed, Gdansk will be among the largest container terminal hubs in Europe, capable of handling the next generation of containerships in the Baltic Sea. This will reduce sailing distances for feeder vessels and provide Polish and regional shippers with more connections around the world.

“Once complete, the terminal will be the most advanced of its kind in the Baltic Sea and will reflect our commitment to sustainable investing and operating, with reduced CO2 emissions both from the construction and the equipment we will deploy for future operations,” said Charles Baker, DCT Gdansk CEO.

The T3 project, which will begin in September, includes the building of a deepwater pier 717 meters long and 17.5 meters deep, drainage works and the construction of a berth measuring 700 meters long. It is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2025. The project will add another 1.7 million TEU to the port's capacity, bringing the total to 4.5 million TEU. This will make Gdansk one of Europe’s largest container ports.

The investment will also involve the purchase of seven new STS cranes, capable of handling the world’s largest vessels, and 20 gantry cranes for the container yard.

Over the past three years, the port of Gdansk has been implementing a $3 billion expansion program aimed at not only securing its position as a top port in the Baltic but also transforming into one of the biggest port facilities in Europe.

Gdansk's location positions it as a gateway port to Central Eastern Europe and as a transhipment hub for the Baltic, and it ranks among the fastest growing ports in Europe. Since the beginning of Russia's war in February, Gdansk has positioned itself to help Ukraine rebuild its lost export and import channels, bringing a new source of cargo to the Baltic port.

In Q1, Gdansk surpassed two Russian ports to move up to the second spot in the ranking of Baltic Sea ports in terms of cargo throughput. It handled 14.8 million tonnes - an 11.3 percent increase - in the first quarter of the year. Gdansk maintained the first position in the Baltic in terms of container handling with 560,000 TEU, a nine percent increase during the quarter.