Baltic Hub starts the construction of the third quay at the Port of Gdansk

Marek Grzybowski – Correspondence especially for eBlue Economy

At the Port of Gdansk The construction of the T3 deepwater quay at the Baltic Hub container terminal has officially begun. Terminal T3 will be built entirely on water. The terminal will be adjacent to the T1 terminal. Construction is due to be completed in spring 2024.

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.

– 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.

• With the construction of the new terminal, known as “Baltic Hub 3”, a third deep-water quay located at the new port area will be created, increasing the handling capacity of DCT Gdańsk by 1.5 million TEUs, to 4.5 million TEUs. The investment is worth Euro 470 million, and the third deep-water quay will be 717-metre-long with a depth of 18.0m and 36 hectares of yard will be built – informed Charles Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Member of the Board.
• This investment is part of the development program of the Port of Gdansk – said Lukasz Greinke, President of the Port of Gdańsk Authority S.A.

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.

INVESTMENT DETAILS AND FINANCING

The tender procedure, announced by the Port of Gdańsk Authority in September last year, was a kind of market “Check” for examining the investment potential of the Port – in particular in terms of the waters where further development of deep-water terminals is planned.

DCT was chosen in a non-discriminatory, competitive procedure run by the Port of Gdańsk Authority to lease the area which will be reclaimed by DCT and where the new Baltic Hub 3 container terminal will be built, located east of the existing T1 berth.

The development is expected to bring investment into the region of 2 billion PLN (about euro 470 million), all financed solely by DCT’s own funds and financing from external lenders.

PSA International (PSA) is a leading global port group and a trusted partner to cargo operators around the world. PSA’s flagship facilities are located in Singapore and Antwerp, and PSA’s global network includes 160 locations in 42 countries around the world.

INVESTMET PROJECT PARTNERS

• 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 – said Cezary Łysenko, Director of the Infrastructure Construction Division at Budimex S.A..

Budimex has an unique experience in hydro-engineering works for the largest investments in the country. The company  will use this knowledge and the experience of its engineers, together with 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.

• 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 – Laurent Closset, Regional Director for Northern Europe at DEME added.

The Baltic Hub Potential

The Baltic Hub was launched in 2007 under the name DCT Gdańsk and has a handling capacity of up to 3 million TEUs per year.

The total length of the terminal’s two deepwater quays is 1.3 km. This allows you to handle 4 ships with containers at the same time. The terminal handles over 600 ships a year, including 100 calls of the largest 400 m long container ships in the world.

In 2021, Baltic Hub handled 2.1 million TEUs.

Baltic Hub employs over 1,100 people, over 50 percent of whom are lives in Gdańsk and its vicinity. The terminal has a direct and significant impact on the regional and Polish economy, generating over PLN 12 billion annually to the state budget in VAT, excise and customs duties.

Baltic Hub is owned by PSA International (40%), Polish Development Fund (30%) and IFM Global Infrastructure Fund, advised by IFM Investors (30%).