Maersk chooses DCT Gdansk
The world’s largest container operator Maersk Line has announced that with effect from 1 December 2008, it will switch its Polish operations from BCT in Gdynia to the new deepwater container terminal DCT Gdansk.
In a circular to customers, Maersk Line stated: “After many years of good cooperation with BCT Gdynia, the time has come to explore new possibilities with DCT Gdansk, allowing Maersk Line to continue to offer its customers a reliable product while maintaining a high level of efficiency and cost effectiveness. “By moving to DCT we have secured the possibility for our customers to continue to grow along with Maersk Line in Poland. Through an open dialogue we will continue to engage our customers in determining the optimal terms of our services in order to cater for our future growth and cooperation.” Welcoming the news, DCT Gdansk’s Chief Executive Officer, Boris Wenzel, commented: “This decision by Maersk Line to switch to our terminal is extremely significant for DCT Gdansk.
When the largest container operator in the Polish market entrusts its business to you, it is proof that you have created an excellent product. Such recognition, after less than one year of operations, is exceptional and is a testimony to all of the hard work put in by our management and staff, who have been steadily improving productivity on a daily basis.” Peter Hildebrandt Nielsen, Maersk Line’s Eastern & Central Europe Cluster Managing Director, added: “With its ice-free open sea access, modern equipment and large rail terminal we are confident that DCT will provide us with high quality port operations and will actively contribute to further improving our product towards the Polish market.” The extra container volumes that will come with Maersk’s arrival will trigger further new investments by DCT. Additional equipment will be introduced and the decision has been made to upgrade its rail terminal to four tracks served by rail- mounted gantry cranes (RMGs).
The DCT Gdansk terminal offers year-round ice-free access to container vessels with drafts of up to 15m, offering perfect conditions to serve as a transhipment hub to St Petersburg and the rest of the Baltic. Its three post-Panamax gantry cranes are able to work vessels carrying containers 18-across on deck. A ro-ro facility has also been provided. The rail terminal, operated by DCT Gdansk, is located adjacent to the marine facility and a major logistics/distribution park is now in the planning stage, making DCT the ideal gateway to Poland and Eastern & Central Europe.
DCT’s largest ship loads for Asia
The arrival of the 2732TEU Racha Bhum at DCT Gdansk’s terminal in Poland on 1 September was noteworthy on three counts. Firstly, she was the first vessel to call at the deepwater terminal on her maiden voyage; secondly, she is the biggest ship so far handled by DCT Gdansk; and, thirdly, she is the first vessel to load containers at this Polish terminal for direct carriage to Asia.
Racha Bhum was delivered to the Singaporean carrier Regional Container Lines (RCL) by the Polish shipyard Stocznia Gdynia at the end of August and chartered by Hapag-Lloyd for her delivery voyage to Asia. She loaded 1002 empty containers, equivalent to over 1500TEU. DCT Gdansk handled the ship very efficiently. Using three ship-to-shore cranes, the loading rate averaged 88.1 moves per hour. According to DCT Gdansk’s Chief Executive Officer, Boris Wenzel, the successful loading of this vessel in just 12 hours is further proof that DCT Gdansk is ready to handle deepsea vessels when carriers decide that the time is right for direct services into the Baltic. Mark Wottke, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd Poland, praised the excellent cooperation between all of the parties involved, including those from DCT Gdansk and the vessel owner.
