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.