Baltic Hub, formerly known as DCT Gdańsk, the operator of the largest container terminal in the Baltic Sea, announced the start of construction of its third deep-water Terminal – T3 on 28 November.
When fully completed in the second quarter of 2025, the new terminal will have a 717-meter-long and 17.5 meter deep quay wall and will be able to handle the largest container vessels in the world.
The new terminal will also provide 365,000m² of additional operating space in a total investment of €450 million (US$467 million).
The T3 project, which will be open for commercial operations after the first phase is completed in the first half of 2024, is a testament to Baltic Hub ambition to develop the largest container hub to serve Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Baltics and become one of the largest container terminal hubs in Europe.
The construction of the T3 project will be executed in two phases. In the first phase, the consortium of the companies Budimex and DEME will build the 360,000m² terminal area next to Terminal 1. This new terminal area, which will be completed by the first half of 2024, will be entirely reclaimed from the sea. It will increase the handling capacity of Baltic Hub by 1.5 million TEUs to 4.5 million TEUs per year.
In the second phase construction of the 717-meter-long, 17.5 meter deep quay wall will commence. This is scheduled to start in early 2023 and be completed in the second quarter of 2025.
The T3 project also involves the purchase of seven quay cranes that are capable of handling the world’s largest vessels, as well as 20 semi-automated Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) cranes for the container yard, which operators will be able to control remotely from ergonomically-designed workspaces.
“Just 10 years ago, Poland was not a significant player in container handling,” pointed out Marek Gróbarczyk, Secretary of State in Poland’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Government Plenipotentiary for Maritime Economy.
“Today, we are starting a historic investment – the largest container port. I think that the Management Board of Baltic Hub has not yet said the last word as their plans are very ambitious,” he noted.
Baltic Hub CEO Charles Baker promises that Baltic Hub and its partners will carry out the project with the highest environmental standards right from the planning stage. “Baltic Hub is a true 21st century terminal, and the T3 development will bring the latest low-carbon technology which any European port would be proud of. We emphasize once again that we are taking internationally recognized precautionary measures to protect the environment, marine life and habitats in the project area,” he said.
The commencement of construction works at the new T3 Baltic Hub terminal completes the stage of work on executive designs and preparation of the construction site. These activities have been carried out as part of the so-called “early start” since the Budimex – Deme consortium signed the contract in July 2022.
Now the consortium is starting works on the construction of a new terminal. The dredging of the sea route to the new terminal and the reclamation works under its basic structure begins. These works will be carried out, among others, by a special dredging ship and using the appropriate material from the bottom of the sea to construct a platform that will form the base of the new terminal. In addition, the consortium begins to build tight walls around the future terminal.
