The International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) said that its Baltic sea operation, the Baltic Container Terminal (BCT), in the Port of Gdynia, Poland, is now included in the port call list of Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) Britannia Ocean Service.
MSC’s new service made its inaugural call in the BCT last April 9, marked by the arrival of the MSC Rose, according to ICTSI in a statement. The service offers a direct deep-sea connection between Asia and Northern Europe, covering major commercial ports such as Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Vung Tau, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, and Liverpool.
“BCT’s inclusion in the MSC’s new service strengthens the Port of Gdynia’s role as a deep-water port and highlights our terminal’s modern facilities. We expect the service to increase export transshipment volume and boost intermodal operations,” said Wojciech Szymulewicz, the BCT chief executive officer.
“With the arrival of this new service, we embrace the opportunity to expand our role in international maritime trade and make the Port of Gdynia more globally competitive,” he added.
The BCT moved a total of 8,200 TEUs or twenty-foot-equivalent-units during the call of the 364-meter-long MSC Rose, which was followed by the call of the 366-meter-long MSC Daria on April 17, said ICTSI.
The vessels have capacities of 15,500 TEUs and 15,264 TEUs, respectively. “Receiving regular calls from these ultra-large container vessels highlights BCT’s capability to handle the largest vessels in existence, underlining the terminal’s strategic importance in the Baltic Sea region,” it said.
Poland’s window to the world, the BCT is strategically located within the pan-European transport corridors and railway routes, and with excellent truck and on-dock rail connectivity to inland Europe.
In May 2003, ICTSI was awarded a concession by the Port Authority of Gydnia to develop, operate and manage the container terminal. ICTSI purchased BCT which had held the lease to the terminal.
