Port of Gdansk Outlines $3 Billion Expansion Plan

The Port of Gdansk, Poland wants to become one of the biggest ports in the Baltic with a multi-billion-dollar plan to double its cargo volume. 

The port's plans center on a giant new $3 billion terminal complex, Euro Central Port. According to Port of Gdansk Authority VP for infrastructure Marcin Osowski, the plans for Euro Central Port include 12 miles of new quays, five miles of breakwaters, nine terminals for a variety of cargo uses, four turning basins and three approach fairways. The extra space would be enough to double Gdansk's cargo volume from 50 million tonnes per year to 100 million tonnes per year. 

The agency seeks to develop Euro Central Port as a public private venture, and Osowski says that the project has the backing of the Polish government. 

“Gdansk’s unique location makes it the ideal gateway port to Central Eastern Europe and transhipment hub for the Baltic, ” said DCT Gdansk deputy CEO Laurent Spiessens in a recent meeting with representatives from Singapore. “This is why it is the fastest growing port in Europe. Gdansk has the best hinterland connections into central and eastern Europe reaching 120 million people. We are determined to drive growth further."

DCT Gdansk is a unit of Singaporean state port operator PSA International, and Spiessens said that the firm wants to grow its operations in Poland. At present, DCT Gdansk can handle about three million TEU per year, but with more investment - including improvements to the terminal's rail yard and the inland road and rail network - he expects that it will reach seven million TEU.