# Gdynia Gears Up for 400-Meter Vessels **Category:** Industry News | **Source:** ICTSI | **Published:** 2026-09-10 | **Updated:** 2026-09-12 **Tags:** Gdynia, Baltic Container Terminal, BCT, ICTSI, MSC Venice, Ostsee, Containerhafen, Hafeninfrastruktur, 400-Meter-Schiffe, Seefracht, Polen, Containerverkehr, Ostseehäfen, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Schienentransport, Digitalisierung > New quay facilities, crane tracks, and cargo handling equipment prepare Gdynia for very large container vessels. This also increases competition for cargo from Central and Eastern Europe. --- The second expansion phase of the Baltic Container Terminal in the Polish port of Gdynia has been completed. In total, more than 84 million US dollars were invested in both project phases. The expansion includes additional quay sections, new crane tracks, higher load-bearing terminal areas, and modernized facilities. Work was completed at the end of June 2026. Handling operations have also been upgraded. The terminal received two new container bridges, two mobile harbor cranes, and eight rubber-tired gantry cranes. This enables BCT to move more containers both at the ship and on the terminal grounds. Part of the new cranes was co-financed through Poland's national recovery and resilience plan. The new infrastructure proved its functionality during the maiden call of the MSC Venice. The ship is 399 meters long and has a capacity of 18,500 TEU according to ICTSI; for London-class vessels, 16,652 TEU is cited elsewhere as the maximum. It was thus the largest and longest container ship ever handled in Gdynia. The port can now accommodate the largest container ships regularly operating in the Baltic Sea. This required more than just the terminal expansion. The port additionally deepened the waterway, rebuilt the Helskie quay, and expanded turning basin number 2. A ship nearly 400 meters long must not only fit at the quay but also safely enter and exit the port. The first project phase included a 400-meter-long quay with a water depth of 15.5 meters. In addition, there were 1,171 meters of crane tracks as well as new access roads, pipelines, and hydraulic engineering facilities. Gdynia is thus becoming more attractive as a direct calling point for Asian services. The terminal is already served by MSC's Britannia service, which connects Asia with Northern Europe. For German Baltic ports, this represents at least indirect new competition. Lübeck, Rostock, and Kiel are not classic deep-sea container ports like Gdynia. However, they also benefit from feeder traffic, rail transport, RoRo services, and cargo from the Baltic region. If more containers are discharged directly in Poland, some of this cargo no longer needs to be routed through other ports and additional feeder or land transport. Through this, Gdynia can capture more transport from Poland as well as Central and Eastern Europe. Hamburg and Bremerhaven could also feel the impact of the expansion. Until now, much cargo destined for Poland has been discharged first in large North Sea ports and subsequently transported onward by feeder, rail, or truck. Direct mega-ship calls in Gdynia can partially replace such detours. This will certainly not change all cargo flows overnight. However, Gdynia now has the technical foundation to negotiate far more seriously with major shipping lines. --- For us freight forwarders, the expansion initially means an additional routing option for Poland and parts of Central and Eastern Europe. For imports from Asia, a direct call at Gdynia can be interesting if the cargo is destined for Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia or further towards Eastern Europe anyway. In such cases, a feeder transport via Hamburg or Bremerhaven may be eliminated. However, the entire transport chain remains decisive, not just the sea leg. Therefore, you should also compare rail connections, truck capacity availability, terminal handling times and potential additional costs. A direct call is not automatically faster. If the hinterland connection is not suitable or containers remain longer at the terminal, the advantage quickly disappears. For shipments to Northern Germany, Hamburg and the German Baltic Sea ports will likely remain the more sensible option in many cases. However, for cargo destined for Poland or Eastern Europe, Gdynia will definitely become more attractive. In short: Gdynia is now technically ready for the largest container vessels. This gives freight forwarders more choice and puts somewhat more pressure on the surrounding ports. --- Baltic Container Terminal has completed the second phase of its expansion program. The work was completed at the end of June 2026. Both project phases combined cost more than 84 million US dollars. Additional quay sections and new crane tracks were constructed. Terminal areas and further facilities were modernized and reinforced. BCT received two new container cranes. In addition, two mobile harbor cranes and eight rubber-tyred gantry cranes were procured. The first expansion phase included a 400-meter-long quay with 15.5 meters water depth. In total, 1,171 meters of crane tracks were built in the first phase. The MSC Venice is 399 meters long and has a capacity of 18,500 TEU according to ICTSI; for London-class vessels, 16,652 TEU is cited as the maximum elsewhere. It was the largest and longest container ship to call at the Port of Gdynia to date. BCT can now handle vessels with a length of up to 400 meters. The port deepened its waters and expanded turning basin number 2 for this purpose. BCT is already being called at by MSC's Britannia service. The expansion strengthens Gdynia for direct connections between Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. ## Related Entities ### Countries - [Czechia](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/cz) - [Germany](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/de) - [Lithuania](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/lt) - [Poland](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/pl) - [Slovakia](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/sk) - [Ukraine](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/ua) ### Seaports - [Gdynia (PL GDY)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/gdynia-port-pl-gdy) - [Gdansk (PL GDN)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/gdansk-port-pl-gdn) - [Hamburg (DE HAM)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/hamburg-port-de-ham) - [Bremerhaven (DE BRV)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/bremerhaven-port-de-brv) - [Lubeck (DE LBC)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/lubeck-port-de-lbc) - [Rostock (DE RSK)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/rostock-port-de-rsk) - [Kiel (DE KEL)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/kiel-port-de-kel) - [Klaipeda (LT KLJ)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/klaipeda-port-lt-klj) ### Glossary - [Container](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/container) - [Container terminal](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/container-terminal) - [Feeder](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/feeder) - [Port](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/port) - [Intermodal Transportation](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/intermodal-transportation) - [Shipping company](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/shipping-company) - [Sea freight](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/sea-freight) - [Terminal](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/terminal) - [Transshipment](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/transshipment-2) - [Cargo handling](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/cargo-handling) - [Port of Gdynia](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/port-of-gdynia) - [container port](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/container-port) - [Port infrastructure](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/port-infrastructure) - [container ship](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/container-ship) - [transshipment equipment / handling equipment](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/transshipment-equipment-handling-equipment) - [Draft](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/draft) - [Container crane (ship-to-shore crane)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/container-crane-ship-to-shore-crane) - [Feeder service](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/feeder-service-2) - [Turning basin](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/turning-basin) - [Baltic Sea](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/baltic-sea) - [Hinterland Transport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/hinterland-transport-2) - [Deep-Sea Shipping](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/deep-sea-shipping-2) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/gdynia-ruestet-fuer-400-meter-schiffe-auf-20260909201439](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/gdynia-ruestet-fuer-400-meter-schiffe-auf-20260909201439)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/gdynia-ruestet-fuer-400-meter-schiffe-auf-20260909201439](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/gdynia-ruestet-fuer-400-meter-schiffe-auf-20260909201439)*