Building a Baltic giant
Andrzej Wróbel: How big is the Deep-Sea Container Terminal and when will it be operational?
James Sutcliffe: The DCT will be the largest container terminal in Poland and has no constraints concerning the size of vessels. The new terminal will have a 650-meter berth up to 16.5 meters deep so it will be able to take any vessel. Phase one of the project will entail building the initial container terminal, with a maximum capacity of 500,000 TEU [20-foot equivalent units] per annum and a roll-on roll-off berth capacity of 160,000 TEU. Phase two of the project will increase the DCT terminal's capacity to handle one million containers per annum. It be built subject to demand. The program started last October and the terminal will be available to use starting in June 1, 2007.
When do you think the whole project will be completed?
It depends on the market and consumer demand. Our estimates are the traffic growth should be stable and we believe in the first four to five years we will start the second phase of construction. It can be somewhere between 2010 and 2012.
How do you estimate the demand for such a facility located on the Baltic Sea?
The growth of traffic on the Baltic Sea made us believe that there will be a demand for large vessels to enter the Baltic and Gdańsk is the only port in Poland capable of handling large container vessels. In addition, unlike most Baltic ports, it is ice-free all year round and DCT will have a state of the art handling facilities. Experts predict that container traffic in Poland will grow faster than the worldwide average of nine percent per annum.
Why did you decide to locate the terminal in Poland rather than another Baltic country?
Since Poland joined the EU the prospects of development are extremely good and the growth rate is spectacular. This is a market that hasn't yet been fully served. Poland provides a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe for seaborne traffic - this represents a potential market of some 300 million people. We expect DCT Gdańsk to become a regional hub. The port has good rail connections reaching as far south as Odessa and southern Europe. Road connections are being upgraded, road traffic will have direct access from DCT onto the proposed new A1 southbound motorway.
What impact will it have on the economic situation in Poland and the whole region?
DCT Gdansk will provide a direct deep-sea facility, which Poland doesn't have at the moment, therefore expanding the potential import-export market. Business opportunities will increase, and this in turn will attract inward investment in terms of manufacturing. It will provide local access to worldwide markets and offer increased employment and prosperity in the Gdańsk area. It will open up the Polish market to worldwide destinations and remove limitations on vessel sizes and container volumes for the foreseeable future.
The primary mode of transport for consumer goods is seaborne container traffic. If we look at the number of companies moving to Poland for manufacturing we already see that they will need an efficient import-export facility to manage their products.
DCT will attract international business to Poland in general because they will know that here they will have a link with international markets through Gdańsk. It will also generate a lot of logistics and warehousing business in the area.
How much does DCT Gdańsk plan to invest in the terminal?
The construction of phase one will amount to some $200 [zł.645] million, which will be funded via debt and equity.
