Unifeeder at the Gdansk Container Terminal (GCT)

03.11.2010

On 3rd November 2010, members of the Danish Shipowners' Association (DSA) held a working meeting at the Gdansk Container Terminal SA. It was attended by the diplomatic corps of the Kingdom of Denmark and took place on board "Ines Bolten", a ship docked at the GCT and owned by the Baltic major container operator "Unifeeder", which is also a DSA member.

The visitors invited by the Port of Gdansk's forerunner of the container industry received a warm welcome from GCT SA CEO Krystian Klein and discussed the current conditions for container feeder shipping operations in the Baltic Sea region as well as the prospects of the industry. After the acquisition in the early 2010 of IMCL, which was among the GCT's business partners, vessels operated by "Unifeeder" started regular three times weekly calls at the GCT, shipping containers between Gdansk and the West European hubs such as Rotterdam, Hamburg and Bremerhaven.

GCT, which has twelve years' experience (its operation was launched in September 1998), has increased its year-on-year throughput rates thanks to its reputation as a "client-friendly terminal". However, in today's reality, its recognition among the clients does not suffice in becoming successful. The cooperation with Gdansk's biggest operator, Port of Gdansk Cargo Logistics SA, has spurred increased investment into equipment and machinery. Today, the terminal, which can accommodate vessels of up to 20,000 DWT, is equipped with such machinery as a ship-to-shore gantry crane, two shore cranes, a 100-tonne mobile harbour crane, straddle carrier and two reach-stackers. The Szczecinskie Quay houses stands for storing refrigerated containers and offers Lo-Lo and Ro-Ro services.

The advantages provided by the GCT have earned the appreciation of thirty-nine shipowners, including such tycoons as Evergreen, Hanjin, APL, COSCO, IRISL, CMA-CGM, NYK, K-Line, OOCL, CSCL, MOL, Hyundai, ZIM, Hapag LLoyd, CSAV, Hamburg Sud, UASC and MISC. The terminal, which aims to ensure a regular increase in its turnovers, last year attained throughput of 75,000 TEUs, even at the time of the evident global economic slowdown. However, the rapid growth in the turnover of containerised break-bulk requires that the GCT should look for more storage capacity. We believe that the alliance with "Unifeeder" will help further stimulate effective investments.

PGA SA PR Officer