The second regular ocean container service already in Gdansk

12.08.2015

As announced just before the end of June this year, on 11 August at 8pm the 366-meter long m/v Hong Kong Express docked at the container terminal DCT Gdansk, thereby launching the second oceanic service from Asia to the Port of Gdansk.

This year, six of the world's leading container shipping companies comprising the G6 alliance (i.e. APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Hapag-Lloyd, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line) decided to extend their Loop 7 service to the Baltic.

Gdansk's excellent results in the quantity of general container cargo handled - thanks to the record amount serviced at the DCT Gdansk terminal - helped to win the port second place in the ranking of container ports on the Baltic Sea and in turn boosted the appeal of the city in general. This is the only port on this section of the Baltic Sea capable of handling ships with a capacity exceeding 13,000 20-foot containers.

The new service will operate on the following route: Qingdao - Shanghai (Yangshan) - Hong Kong - Yantian - Singapore - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Gdansk - Gothenburg - Antwerp - Southampton - Singapore - Yantian - Qingdao, and the alliance's vessels will dock regularly at Gdansk once a week.

For the record, during the 2007-2014 period - i.e. since the DCT Gdansk container terminal has been in operation - the Port of Gdansk has shown an increase in container cargo handling of 1,151%, which during this time was the largest percentage increase in container handling in Europe.

Currently, the DCT terminal is undergoing major construction work which will soon double its handling capacity to 3 million TEU per annum in the first phase of its expansion.