Official launch of construction of the third Baltic Hub quay (until recently DCT Gdańsk) at the Port of Gdańsk
Thanks to the new investment, the Baltic Hub will not only be the largest container terminal in the Baltic Sea, but also one of the largest in Europe. The investment, worth approx. PLN 2 billion, will be put into operation in 2024. However, in the coming months, the land territory of Poland will be enlarged by 36 hectares.
The ceremonial launch of the T3 construction, the third deep-water quay in the Port of Gdańsk, with the participation of Marek Gróbarczyk, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure, took place on 28 November 2022.
The Baltic Hub had one deep-water quay at the start of its operations in 2007, reaching an annual handling capacity of 500,000 TEU. Today, it is a true hub in the Baltic, with two deep-water quays and a capacity of approximately 2.1 million TEUs handled in 2021. The total length of the terminal’s two deep-water quays are 1.3 km, which allows the operation of 4 ships at the same time. The Baltic Hub has become the transport gateway to Central and Eastern Europe, serving Germany and landlocked markets, such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. More than 600 ships a year call at the terminal, including the world’s 100 largest container ships.
‘Until 10 years ago, Poland was not a significant country in container handling,’ said Marek Gróbarczyk, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Government Plenipotentiary for Maritime Affairs. ‘Today we are starting a historic investment to build the largest container port. I think that this is not the last word, as the Baltic Hub’s development plans are ambitious.’
Charles Baker, CEO of the Baltic Hub, in talking about the start of the construction, assured us that the Baltic Hub and its partners will implement the investment with the highest environmental standards.
‘The Baltic Hub is going to be a true twenty-first-century terminal that will incorporate the latest generation low-carbon technology that any European port would be proud of. Once again, we emphasize that we will take all the internationally recognized preventive measures to protect the environment, marine life and habitats in the investment area. This construction will, from A to Z, reflect our commitment to sustainable investments, such as through the use of low-carbon concrete and the supply of environmentally friendly equipment – including electric yard cranes,’ he said at the conference.
Baker also added that T3 will enrich the service offer of the Baltic Hub. Moreover, the company will be able to acquire new services and attract more shipping alliances, as well as reaching new markets.
‘By developing additional handling capacity and opening new connections, we also provide an impulse for the development of the Polish economy,’ he added.
The full completion of the investment is planned for the end of the second quarter of 2025. But T3 will be open for commercial activities as soon as the first phase of construction is completed, in the first half of 2024. The capacity of the Baltic Hub will then be increased by 1.5 million to 4.5 million TEUs (20-foot containers) per year.
36 hectares of Poland more
The construction of T3 is going to be divided into two stages. In the first phase, a consortium of Budimex and DEME will build a 36-hectare platform adjacent to Terminal 1 (T1). It will be built entirely offshore and be completed in the first half of 2024. In the second stage, the construction of a quay wall with a length of 717 m and a depth of 17.5 m will begin. The work is expected to start in the first months of 2023, and should be completed in the second quarter of 2025.
The T3 project additionally includes the purchase of 7 quay cranes, capable of loading and unloading the largest ships in the world, as well as 20 semi-automatic RMG cranes operating in the storage yard. Operators will be able to remotely control them from ergonomically designed workstations. This will ensure a safer, more efficient, modern and comfortable working environment, 365 days a year.
‘We are witnessing another milestone. After a long process of selecting an investor, we chose DCT Gdańsk (now Baltic Hub) as the entity that submitted the most favourable offer. Today we move on to the next stage – the commencement of the works. We keep our fingers crossed, wish you good luck and assure you of our support at every stage of the investment. I hope that in two years time we can meet at the opening ceremony of the next quay,’ said Łukasz Greinke, President of the Port of Gdańsk Authority S.A.
The project partners were present at the conference.
‘We have completed the design and preparatory works. Now it is time to start the basic works on the construction of T3 Baltic Hub. In the coming months, we will enlarge the land territory of Poland by 36 hectares. We have unique experience in hydro-engineering works for the largest investments in the country. We will use this knowledge and the experience of our engineers, together with our equipment, in the construction of the new terminal. The construction works alone will involve the dredging of more than 4 million cubic metres, and the construction of a mooring line with a length of over 700 m. The T3 terminal itself will have a surface area of over 360,000 square metres, an operational depth of 17 metres and also be semi-automatic, which is a novelty in Poland and a trend present in the world at the moment,’ said Cezary Łysenko, Director of the Infrastructure Construction Division at Budimex S.A.
In turn, Laurent Closset, Regional Director for Northern Europe at DEME added:
‘We are proud to help in the construction of this terminal, where we will carry out dredging and reclamation works. We look forward to working with our consortium partner, Budimex, to combine our knowledge and contribute to the ambitious development plans of the Baltic Hub.’
Contact for the media:
Anna Drozd – spokesperson for the Port of Gdańsk
e-mail: anna.drozd@portgdansk.pl
tel: (+48) 727 064 605
