Smoothly seeing in 2009

Against all expectations, the Polish container terminal operator DCT Gdansk passed the 100,000TEU mark in mid December whilst handling the 750TEU vessel Containerships V. According to DCT Gdansk’s CEO, Boris Wenzel, a steady increase in traffic has seen monthly volumes rise: “We had thought we would have to wait for 2009 to be able to report a six-figure annual throughput figure but the arrival of Maersk Line on 1 December changed all that.

“Maersk Line has brought not just an increase in vessel calls but also more road vehicle movements through the gate and increased rail traffic at the terminal’s dedicated rail facility. We are busier in every department and have been recruiting and training new staff for some months now. I am pleased to say though that our operations have continued to run smoothly.” Much of the Maersk Line volume is moving on the company’s dedicated weekly Bremerhaven – DCT Gdansk feeder service. Maersk also works closely with Team Lines, an established DCT Gdansk customer, and consequently the number of Team Lines’ calls has also increased during December.

According to Peter Hildebrandt Nielsen, Managing Director of Maersk Polska, DCT Gdansk has performed very well during the first month: “Both our own dedicated vessel and those of our feeder partner Team Lines have been handled with great efficiency. DCT has consistently achieved over 30 container moves per crane hour and all vessels have departed on or ahead of schedule.

“Thanks not only to DCT Gdansk’s own personnel but also to Customs and other authority bodies within the Port of Gdansk, administrative procedures have been conducted smoothly, resulting in several positive comments from our customers.” As more containers are now moving over DCT Gdansk to/from distant inland locations within Central and Eastern Europe, the terminal operator has been able to increase the number and frequency of rail services it offers. These trains have
been well supported and more are promised.

DCT Gdansk’s General Manager, Fred Kamperman, paid tribute to his colleagues’ performance:
“For our operators to handle over 1,000 moves per vessel was a challenge but they proved more than equal to the task. Our equipment fleet has been boosted by the addition of three new Liebherr rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) and ancillary machines, which has required more people. New recruits have included Poland’s first female RTG drivers who are already performing well.”

Santa calls in to see DCT employee’s children

DCT Gdansk container terminal organized on December 14th , 2008 its first Santa Claus Party for the children of its employees. The party attracted over 80 parents with their children and a lot of attractions and surprises awaited children on that day. Among other things: magic scarves, dancing mats, a fairy tale about the Santa Claus, and an art competition where each participant could decorate his face with special paints. The climax of the party was marked by the visit of the Santa Claus who appeared on his sleigh carried by a forklift to give to every child a present after sitting on his lap

Handling capacity boosts with three new RTGs

The Polish deepwater container terminal DCT Gdansk has boosted its handling capabilities with the commissioning of three new Liebherr rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs), complementing the five cranes already in service. Training of new crane operators has also been completed and the terminal is ready to handle the increased volumes of business forecast when Maersk Line announced that it was switching its Polish hub from Gdynia to DCT Gdansk. That change took place on 1 December 2008.

The new RTGs are identical to those already in operation. They are capable of working a five-high container stack and span seven rows of containers plus a vehicle lane. With all eight cranes operational, DCT can now stack up to 20,000TEU in its import and export stacks. According to DCT Gdansk’s General Manager, Fred Kamperman, the expanded RTG capability has boosted the terminal’s shiphandling capabilities: “We have three Liebherr ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes and 650m of quay.

When the cranes are used together to work a single ship, we have achieved handling rates of 40+ containers/crane hour. This has resulted in ships achieving maximum handling rates of 100 moves per hour. “For us to sustain these rates consistently without slowing down the turnround times for road vehicles, whether working one ship with three cranes or two ships sharing the three cranes, we needed this extra RTG capacity.”

To cope with the anticipated increase in business, DCT Gdansk has also commissioned a number of other smaller machines including a reachstacker, terminal tractors and trailers, and some smaller lift trucks. DCT Gdansk’s CEO, Boris Wenzel, says the terminal is now ready for the rise in traffic that the arrival of Maersk will bring: “With the delivery of this new equipment, we are very confident of our ability to maintain the very high level of service our clients expect. Our vessel handling performance is already acknowledged to be amongst the best in the Baltic Sea region and we are confident that similar results will continue to be achieved when the number of vessel movements increases sharply this month (December).”