DCT Gdansk specific guidelines for vehicle drivers

AVOIDING INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS

Please read, understand and follow the important safety rules before entering the terminal:

I General safety rules:
1. Pedestrians are not allowed on the terminal.
2. Personal safety equipment such as safety clothing and helmets shall always be used when visiting the terminal.
3. Smoking is permitted only within designated areas. Smoking in vehicle cabins while on the terminal is strictly prohibited.

II Specific guidelines for vehicle drivers:
1. Containers are to be locked/unlocked in the parking area outside the terminal.
2. Traffic must always follow defined vehicle paths and directions. It is necessary to follow all traffic signs (sign posted and marked on the ground). “Shortcuts” are strictly forbidden.
Speed must be adjusted to prevailing conditions. The terminal speed limit is 30 km/h.
3. Each vehicle must STOP at every exit from the yard stack blocks.
4. Terminal heavy vehicles (STS and RTG) always have pass priority.
5. The driver must stay inside the vehicle cabin when a container is being loaded/unloaded on the trailer.
6. The driver must park the vehicle only at designated areas. The driver must cooperate with the RTG operator to ensure safety loading/unloading operations to/from the trailer.
7. Mobile phones and electronic devices for listening to music must not be used during loading/unloading operations.
8. Carriage of passengers is prohibited.

If any problems please call:
+48 58 737 6322  or  +48 58 737 6359

Today DCT Gdańsk terminal introduced two new RTG cranes into operation

Dynamic development of DCT Gdańsk and increasing number of containers reloaded at the terminal initiated new investments in modern cargo handling equipment.
Today two new rubber tyred gantry cranes Kalmar type E-One2 entered into service. Both ordered in late 2009 and delivered to the terminal at the end of January this year.
The 7+1 wide and 1-over-5 high RTGs with a maximum lifting capacity of 40 tonnes are equipped with Kalmar Smartrail®, an autosteering and container position verification system. Additional performance-enhancing technology such as an electrical anti-sway system, have also been requested by DCT Gdansk.

Modern technology for container stuffing at DCT Gdansk terminal

DCT Gdansk container terminal invested in one “ACTIW LoadPlate” unit, a modern equipment designed to stuff any type of cargo into standard ISO containers. 
ACTIW LoadPlate’s innovative technology eliminates complications and risks associated to stuffing of cargo normally considered difficult for containerisation or susceptible to be damaged by conventional loading methods. It can easily and efficiently stuff cargo such as: steel constructions, machinery, steel pipes, steel sheets, bars, steel profiles, structural sections, as well as many other long or bulky cargo. It also significantly reduces the risk of cargo being damaged, as cargo is conveniently arranged on a load plate
The unit is also ideal for loading unitised cargo, such as pallets, big bags etc.,ensuring maximum utilization of cargo space in the container. ACTIW LoadPlate significantly improves the efficiency of general cargo handling operations and accelerates container cargo stuffing.

DCT Gdansk is the first container terminal in the Southern part of the Baltic Sea equipped with the ACTIW LoadPlate technology. ACTIW LoadPlate is produced by the Finnish company Actiw Oy and was delivered to DCT Gdansk terminal in the beginning of March 2010. After the assembly and implementation process ACTIW LoadPlate is now ready for use.All clients are invited to cooperate with DCT Gdansk terminal in the scope of container stuffing by the ACTIW LoadPlate equipment.

LoadPlate Pictures

DCT Gdansk - the best terminal in Northern Europe in 2009 for Maersk Line

On February 10th, 2010 DCT Gdansk terminal was honoured to receive from Maersk Line Northern Europe the “Terminal of the Year Award 2009”.

On this occasion, Mr Marc Niederer, Maersk Line Senior Director of Northern Europe Liner Operations Cluster presented a beautiful trophy to Mr Boris Wenzel, CEO of DCT Gdansk in presence of both companies’ representatives.

The Terminal of the Year Award came in recognition of DCT Gdansk consistently ranking first on Maersk Line’s terminal scorecard, which is determined according to criteria that include berth productivity, waiting time and port costs.
This benchmark includes the largest terminals in Northern Europe: North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven, APM Terminals Rotterdam, Hamburg Eurogate, APM Terminals Zeebrugge, APM Terminal Aarhus Terminal Porte Oceane Le Havre, Felixstowe Trinity Terminal, the Sea Port of ST. Petersburg.

Presenting the award, Marc Niederer expressed great appreciation for the effectiveness of cooperation with DCT Gdansk:
“The award we are presenting to DCT Gdansk signifies that among terminals used by Maersk Line in Northern Europe, DCT Gdansk has contributed most to help Maersk Line to improve the quality of service to clients while at the same time reducing its operating costs.”

Mr Marc Niederer added that DCT’s consistent high standard in container handling, while providing Maersk Line a lower cost of operations than traditional hubs was an important factor that supported Maersk Line’s decision to launch its first direct regular service linking Poland to the Far East in January 2010.

DCT Gdansk offers ideal conditions to handle all types and sizes of vessels, it benefits from the longest rail terminal in Polish ports, offering excellent rail connections, and a 200ha logistics park adjacent to the terminal, is to be awarded to a developer during the first quarter of 2010. Both the terminal and rail facilities have significant expansion capabilities, which will allow DCT to compete effectively with German and Benelux ports servicing the Baltic region.
In the medium term, DCT Gdansk will also develop as a gateway to Central & Eastern Europe as it is located closer than German and Benelux ports to service these destinations.

 

Jade Marine Terminal Software at Heart of New Baltic Container Hub

A quotation  from Jade Software Corporation Media Release:

JADE MARINE TERMINAL SOFTWARE AT HEART OF NEW BALTIC CONTAINER HUB
Jade Software’s TOS managing DCT’s Gdansk’s Baltic container hub

London, United Kingdom, 19 January 2010 – Jade Software today congratulated DCT Gdansk on achieving its goal of becoming the new container hub for the entire Baltic Sea region.

Jade began the expansion of its logistics division into Europe in 2007 with the commissioning of DCT Gdansk in Poland, and since then its marine terminal operating system, JMT (Jade Master Terminal), has been adopted by leading terminal operators in ports all around the world.

Jade Software Managing Director Craig Richardson says that from January 2010, Maersk post-panamax ships sailing on Maersk Line’s AE10 service from China will now call into DCT Gdansk each week bringing Polish, Russian and Finnish cargo to be discharged at DCT Gdansk. 

“To give an idea of scale of these vessels and how much the Baltic terminal will transform the logistics of containers in Europe, Maersk’s post-panamax ships can carry over 8,200 20 foot containers. These ships are more than twice the size of vessels that call on smaller routes.  As a result DCT Gdansk is expected to become Poland’s largest terminal in 2010,” says Richardson.

DCT Gdansk’s CEO, Mr Boris Wenzel says, “The Jade Master Terminal system continues to serve us well as a strategic business enabler and Jade’s innovative terminal operating system sits at the very core of our portfolio of client-focused data integration services. “ 

“We believe that the future of terminal business will be increasingly defined by the sophistication of data services and the level of electronic transactions we can provide to our clients in addition to just moving boxes.  Our ability to deliver these data services allows our clients to reduce their costs significantly, and Jade’s flexibility is an important factor in our capability to develop customised solutions for all our different clients.”

Richardson says Jade Software has had a close working relationship with DCT Gdansk since commissioning in 2007. 

“We both see ourselves as market challengers in the global ports sector and there is a strong sense of pride and accomplishment when we see our customers realise their operational and commercial objectives using our products,” says Richardson.

Richardson adds that Jade Software had recently reviewed its marine terminals strategy and would continue to challenge conventional thinking by bringing together world-class terminal design and operations expertise with their unified terminal operating software. 

“We know our customers have choices and their decision to buy JMT comes with the caveat that Jade delivers on its value proposition.  We are in business of creating value for our customers not just selling software.”

Lastly, Jade indicated they were likely to expand their London office in February to meet increasing demand for their software and terminal consulting services in Europe.

DCT Gdansk picture recently featured on the Reuters board in NY

DCT Gdansk was recently featured on the Reuters board in Times Square, New York City as the news of a new hub in the Baltic Sea goes around the world.

New border veterinary inspection office adjacent to DCT Gdańsk terminal.

On Wednesday, January 20th, 2010, a formal ceremony marking the signing of the rent agreement of a newly built border veterinary inspection office took place. Agreement was signed between Mr. Dariusz Walecki - the Border Veterinary of Gdansk , The Board of the Port Authority of Gdańsk represented by Mr. Ryszard Strzyżewicz and Mr. Sławomir Wrześniak, and the Deputy Governor of the Pomeranian Region, Mr. Michal Owczarczak.

The ceremony was also attended by Mrs. Andżelika Cieślowska, managing director DORACO Corporation, the contractor for the facility, and Mr. Boris Wenzel - CEO of DCT Gdańsk terminal, in which the new veterinary facility is located.

“Our customers will notice the improvement of the border veterinary inspections and procedures performed at our terminal” said Boris Wenzel thanking the Gdansk Port Authority and the contractor for meeting the project accomplishment deadline.

Construction work lasted less than half a year, and certification process by the European Commission are currently underway. After completion of the formalities this Veterinary facility will be put into service. Opening of this new inspection office will greatly facilitate the inspection process and considerably shorten the time needed to carry out veterinary checks of containers handled at DCT Gdansk terminal.

High Time for Poland to challenge Hamburg’s supremacy and develop a regional ambition for its Port sector

Original text of article published in “Namiary na Morze i Handel” (02-2010):

High Time for Poland to challenge Hamburg’s supremacy and develop a regional ambition for its Port sector

For many years, Poland has prided itself on Gdynia being its major port as well as a major port in the Baltic, and cheered new record container volumes each year. Unfortunately, the reality is that while the Gdynia port community was busy celebrating, Hamburg quietly but rapidly developed as Poland’s largest port. Since 2008, Hamburg handles more Polish containers than Gdynia, and that does not account for the Polish volumes that enter Poland from Bremerhaven, or that come through regular block trains from Rotterdam to their destination in Poland. One can wonder, what was there really to celebrate since Polish volumes were in fact flowing away from Polish ports faster than Polish ports were growing. For too long, Gdynia has taken pride of being the biggest fish in a small pond, without realizing that the pond was in fact part of a bigger lake. It is time to change these old mentalities and put to rest the old jealousies and rivalries that opposed Gdansk and Gdynia, and to adopt a more ambitious vision that will elevate Poland to a hub port country status.
Poland is one of the most important countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE): it has one of the largest territories and population, its geographic location makes it a natural gateway to the whole CEE, and it has one of the strongest economies of the region. There is no reason it should satisfy itself with the current status quo and continue to celebrate the meager successes of its port industry, while the bigger share of polish volumes continues to be handled by foreign ports. Hamburg makes no secrets of its ambition to continue to rule in the Baltic and to serve as a necessary gateway to all Polish volumes, so does Poland wants to remain subject to domination from German hubs and become even more marginalized as Russia resumes its exponential growth?
Poland should in fact have the ambition for its port sector of playing tomorrow the same role as Germany is playing today. Polish ports should not only serve as the main gateway to Polish volumes, but also to all its southern and eastern landlocked neighbors; being in the heart of the Baltic sea, Poland should aim at becoming the main hub for volumes to other coastal nations in the Baltic.
This ambition is not only of a maritime nature, it is also geo-political and will be a deciding factor in Poland’s standing in the European Union (EU) and future influence in the CEE region. There is a good reason why Hamburg is so determined to maintain its domination over the Baltic: it is all about the economy and prosperity of the Hamburg region; such ambition would also strengthen Poland’s economy longer term in a similar way. At present 7 out of 10 jobs in Hamburg’s 1.7 million population are related to the Port sector, Hamburg has the highest GDP in Germany and in 2007 Hamburg was the German city which attracted the highest share of foreign investment: these successes are the result of Hamburg’s strong port sector which developed with the vision of becoming a main hub to western and central Europe, and to the Baltic sea nations. Germany had the ambition 20 years ago with the fall of communism to dominate the Eastern European and Baltic markets. Achieving similar results for Poland could also take a long time, but the most important decision at this stage is to engage the process by starting to implement the right strategies towards Poland achieving this goal.
In addition to adopting a new port strategy, Poland needs to recognize and address the factors currently limiting the development of its port sector. There are at least 4 sets of factors that hinder the development of Poland as a regional hub port country: seaport infrastructure capabilities, inland infrastructure and in particular connectivity of seaports, bureaucratic obstacles to cargo clearance through Polish ports, and unfair market competition supported by Polish authorities.
Seaport Infrastructure
Gdynia’s port infrastructure cannot accommodate any larger vessels than 5,000-6,000 TEU panamax vessels: it is irremediably limited by its draught of less than 13 meters and the small size of its turning circle. Since most vessels on the Asia – Europe trade route are 8,000 TEU and up vessels requiring over 14 meter draught, none of these vessels can actually call at a terminal in Gdynia. Unlike common perception, DCT Gdansk SA was built not to compete with Gdynia, but to complement Gdynia’s weakness specifically by being able to efficiently accommodate larger vessels that could not call Polish ports.
The start of a first weekly 8,000 TEU vessel direct service by Maersk at DCT Gdansk on 4th January 2010 has for the first time broken Poland’s dependence on Northern European hub ports and demonstrated that the same vessels that call German and Benelux ports can come directly to Poland. In addition to Polish cargo from Maersk not being transshipped in Northern European ports, DCT Gdansk also acts as a hub to transship Far East cargo to Russian and Finland, in replacement of traditional Northern European hub ports.
DCT Gdansk has a current infrastructure capacity of 1 million TEU, which can be expanded to 4 million TEU through additional phases. As the only terminal in Poland with 16.5 meter water depth able to accommodate ocean going vessels of 8,000 TEU and larger, and such unrivalled expansion capabilities, DCT Gdansk has already resolved the most significant limitation to Poland adopting a regional hub strategy.
Inland Infrastructure
The poor quality of Poland’s roads is already notorious, but what is most significant about road infrastructure in Poland is the East-West priority which has so far prevailed to the detriment of North-South. This policy has significantly contributed to the development of Hamburg as Poland’s major port as the major cities in the center and south of Poland are in fact today better connected to German Ports than to Polish ports.
It is essential that Poland adopts right away a North-South priority in relation to road infrastructure development, and considers road infrastructure in the context of linking Polish ports to consumer and production centers in the center and south of the country. Additionally, in the context of Poland positioning itself as the future gateway to landlocked countries on the south and east of its borders, such infrastructure priorities must also include connectivity with major transport corridors of these neighboring countries.
The Polish rail network is dense but the infrastructure very aged, and requires important renovations. Again, the priority of the renovation of the rail infrastructure should be carried out with a North-South priority, as applying East-West priorities will just strengthen the advantage of Hamburg to service the Polish hinterland at the expense of Polish Ports.
DCT Gdansk is very conscious that its aim of becoming a major gateway to the CEE is largely dependent on critical inland infrastructure development. It is in this context that DCT Gdansk is campaigning to raise awareness at the regional and central government levels to ensure that the economic and geo-political opportunities created by the development of a base port in Gdansk are understood by the Polish authorities and reflect in the national infrastructure development priorities.
Harmonization of regulations affecting clearance of cargo via Polish ports
Although Poland joined the EU in 2004 and is therefore subject to the same EU regulatory framework as Germany and Benelux, clearing cargo through a polish port can sometimes take days or weeks, while it only takes hours in Germany. DCT Gdansk is reputed for the quality and dedication of its Customs department among Polish forwarders, and has developed advanced web-based tools to accelerate clearance of cargo, however in order to rival with the efficiency of clearance at German ports, Customs regulations need to be reformed and modernized to accelerate the clearance process and make better use of technology at the expense of paper. Poland’s legislators need to harmonize Polish Customs regulations with that of Germany and Benelux, so that it becomes as easy and fast for a Polish forwarder to clear cargo at a Polish port than it is today at a German port.
The same applies to veterinary and various other border inspections: DCT has just inaugurated on 20th January 2010 its brand new dedicated veterinary facility, however despite veterinary inspections at the EU borders being subject to the same EU framework as in Germany and Benelux, it is a lengthy process in Poland which discourages many Polish forwarders from using Polish ports.
VAT rules in Poland are also an important obstacle to the use of Polish ports: while in Germany, VAT on imports can be cleared after around 90 days, allowing the cargo to be sold and collected VAT being offset with VAT to be paid on import, Polish VAT rules require VAT on imports to be paid within much shorter periods. This means that a forwarder using Polish ports must be able to finance VAT from his cashflow, while it is not the case using a German port.
In 2009 DCT Gdansk has taken the initiative to regroup all Polish container terminals around the issue of VAT on inland services in order to challenge the Ministry of Finance’s application of the VAT regulation, as this would constitute yet another disadvantage to Polish ports as opposed to German ports. DCT Gdansk is also committed to lobby for a change in all Polish regulations that affect the competitiveness of Polish ports.
Unfair competition
The development of a true hub port in Gdansk will require important additional investments in port infrastructure. DCT Gdansk’s present infrastructure can accommodate traffic of 1 million TEU per year,
but to be an effective competitor to multi-million TEU terminals in Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Rotterdam, more capacity will have to be created to accommodate deep sea vessels as more Lines look at shifting their Baltic traffic from northern European hubs to DCT Gdansk.
Only a fair competitive environment can foster a climate favorable to investment. Some local operator in Gdansk that was not required to make any sizeable investment, and benefits from very low costs with the support of the Port Authority and its affiliate operating company, creates unfair competition to other operators in Gdansk and Gdynia. It is essential that, as Landlords, the Port Authorities create a fair playing field where all private operators are subject to similar investment requirements and rental obligations to ensure a healthy competition.
It is high time that Poland sets higher aims for its ports, and in this context, the historic rivalry between Gdansk and Gdynia port authorities is just distracting Poland from confronting the real competition that is presented by German and Benelux ports. It is high time for Gdansk and Gdynia ports to cooperate and unite to develop a credible competition to Hamburg and other northern European hubs and regain all the Polish volumes lost to foreign ports.
Boris Wenzel
CEO, DCT Gdansk SA
January 2010

DCT Gdansk prepares for growth with an order for two Kalmar E-one2 RTGs.

A quotation from Kalmar website (http://www.kalmarind.com):

DCT Gdansk prepares for growth with an order for two Kalmar E-one2 RTGs.

Press release, 12 January 2010

DCT Gdansk – now serving some of the industry’s largest vessels – recently awarded Cargotec a contract to supply two Kalmar E-One2 rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes. The new order will help the customer satisfy demands to increase its handling capability. The machines will be delivered during the first quarter 2010. This order was booked in the fourth quarter 2009 order intake.

The 7+1 wide and 1-over-5 high RTGs with a maximum lifting capacity of 40 tonnes will come equipped with Kalmar Smartrail®, an autosteering and container position verification system. Additional performance-enhancing technology such as an electrical anti-sway system, have also been requested by DCT Gdansk. Furthermore, the Kalmar E-One2 is the latest RTG model and meets the latest safety and environmental demands whilst remaining productive and cost-effective.

Viewed as a monumental step in the development of DCT Gdansk as a world-class port, the facility has been added to a major shipping line service starting already early this month. The weekly service will see 8000 TEU vessels calling at DCT Gdansk, which will become Poland’s largest container terminal as a result.

Boris Wenzel, the CEO of DCT Gdansk, is confident that by welcoming the first-ever post-Panamax ships to Poland, DCT will offer a viable alternative to traditional Northern European hubs and become the preferred gateway to Central & Eastern Europe and Russia.

“The need to expedite the development of our handling capabilities has increased as more shipping lines are considering calling on DCT Gdansk. To help us with our plans, we turned to Cargotec not only because they offer market-leading equipment but as they could accommodate a quick delivery time.” 

 

2010 sees DCT Gdansk achieve its goal of becoming the new hub for the entire Baltic Sea region

On 4 January 2010, DCT Gdansk received the largest container vessel ever to call Poland when the 8200TEU Maersk Taikung (length 332 m; beam 43.2 m; draft 14.5 m) arrived from the Far East. From January 2010, Maersk post-panamax ships sailing on Maersk Line’s AE10 service from China will call DCT Gdansk every Monday bringing Polish, Russian and Finnish cargo to be discharged at DCT Gdansk.

This marks the beginning of a new era in container shipping linking directly Poland to Asia, and the development of DCT Gdansk as a hub in the Baltic Sea, as Russian and Finnish cargo will be transhipped to feeders from DCT Gdansk to their final destinations.

DCT Gdansk’s CEO, Boris Wenzel said:

“We will still have ample capacity to handle additional services from other lines with the same high quality of service we have provided to-date. We already have on-going talks with other carriers interested in making regular calls at DCT Gdansk. With the AE10 contract signed, we immediately ordered two new RTG cranes which will be commissioned at the end of next month and we will continue to evaluate options for additional equipment purchases.”

“DCT sits in a perfect location, with a 17.0 m deep approach channel and 16.5m along the berth. As Maersk Taikung demonstrated, ice-class vessels are not required for calls at DCT Gdansk, even during harsh winter conditions. Carriers can bring their Russian and Finnish containers to DCT and feed deeper into the Baltic using smaller feeder vessels, which are readily available.”

The Maersk call has already initiated two new feeder services from Gdansk to St. Petersburg and to the Finnish ports of Kotka and Helsinki.

Maersk Taikung sailed on 5 January from DCT Gdansk following a party for customers and port officials celebrating Poland’s closer link to Asia. According to the Master of the vessel, Captain Dastoor, everything had gone very smoothly despite the winter conditions:

“The approach to DCT is indeed very easy even for a vessel of this size. There is ample space to manoeuvre with a 650m turning circle. Coming alongside was straightforward too. Taking into consideration the excellent navigation conditions, it is hard to believe that we were the first big containership ever to berth here.”

With the AE10 service now in place, DCT’s Sales & Marketing will increase its focus on attracting additional deepsea services as well as more feeder connections. Boris Wenzel remarked:

“As the global economy recovers, Central-Eastern Europe and in particular, Poland, will be among the fastest growing regions in the world. We are confident that DCT Gdansk will be recognised as a better gateway to this area than traditional northern European hub ports.”
 
DCT Gdansk offers ideal conditions to handle all types and sizes of vessels, it benefits from the longest rail terminal in Poland, offering excellent rail connections, and a 200ha logistics park adjacent to the terminal, for which the announcement of a developer is imminent.  Both the terminal and rail facilities have significant expansion capabilities, which will allow DCT to compete effectively with German and Benelux ports servicing the Baltic region.

In the medium term, DCT Gdansk will also develop as a gateway to the whole of Central & Eastern Europe as it is located closer than German and Benelux ports to service these destinations.

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