DCT Gdansk toasts opening of the 500,000-TEU Phase One CT

GDANSK city and port officials, engineers and representatives from shipping community raised their glasses last week aboard the cruise ship Lady Assa to celebrate the opening of Phase One of Poland's new deepwater container terminal, DCT Gdansk.

The Lady Assa sailed from in Gdansk's old town docks for the ceremony off DCT Gdansk's 16.5 metre deep, 650-metre long quay, served by three post panamax cranes and five rubber tyre gantries.

With tested road and rail connections linking it to major inland distribution centres throughout Poland and neighbouring countries, Phase One has a 36-hectare yard capable handling 500,000-TEU a year, and a roll-on roll-off berth adding an extra capacity of 160,000 freight units.

With Phase One up and running, DCT Gdansk, CMA CGM has pledged weekly calls and feeder ships from Team Lines, starting with its the 868-TEU Birkaland which provided a working demonstration for onlookers. Lithuania's short-haul ship operator ISN has also initiated its first weekly call from Russia's Kaliningrad.

Said DCT Gdansk CEO Colin Chanter: "Today we mark the culmination of more than two years' hard work and investment and I am proud of what everyone has achieved.

DCT Gdansk SA is a Polish registered, majority-owned by GIF (Global Infrastructure Fund), a UK fund owned by Australia's Macquarie Bank. GIF has designed and built the terminal in which it retains a minority interest.