Polish Port of Gdansk’s Deepwater Container Terminal (DCT) concluded 2016 with an operational result at the level of 1.3 million TEUs, representing a record in the history of the terminal.
The record number of containers was driven by a number of factors, including the growing need for directs calls of oceanic container vessels in the Baltic, as well as the visible growth of cargo targeted at Eastern and Central Europe markets.
Already in October 2016 the number of containers exceeded the overall result of 1.06 million TEUs seen in 2015, as the second berth at the Gdansk’s DCT was officially opened .
Expanding the country’s sole deep-sea terminal to become the largest container hub in the Baltic Sea, Terminal 2 (T2) can accommodate ultra-large vessels of the capacity exceeding 18,000 TEUs which will enter the Baltic Sea through the Danish Straits, the company said earlier.
The new 650-meter-long and 17-meter-deep quay doubled DCT’s annual handling capacity from 1.5 million to 3 million TEUs.
“With the opening of Terminal 2, we now have the prospect to take it to the next level – use this potential and double in size. DCT Gdansk has proven itself a game-changer for the Baltic, opening the market to direct calls from Asia and providing access for Polish importers and exporters as well as enhanced transshipment access across the Baltic for the Shipping Lines. Our challenge now is to attract new services and to push further into central Europe, whilst retaining and consolidating our position with our existing customers,” Cameron Thorpe, CEO of Gdansk, said.