Container-ship operator Maersk has decided to extend its Asia-Europe service to Gdańsk’s Deepwater Container Terminal, creating the first direct connection between China and Poland.

In switching to Gdańsk, Maersk is eliminating the French port of Dunkerque from its route.
The first vessel, the container ship Maersk Taikung, is due on January 5, 2010. From then on, ships will be scheduled to arrive at the DCT on a weekly basis. The terminal will probably become a hub port, where containers are transhipped to smaller vessels, or shipped by rail or by truck.

So far, most container services between Asia and Europe have terminated in Germany, relying on transhipment to reach Scandinavia and the Baltic region.

Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk Andrzej Bojanowski is convinced that other major carriers will now also be drawn to the deep-sea container facility. “[Maersk] sent a signal that it is worth doing. The DCT will draw part of the trade away from Hamburg and Bremerhaven,” he told WBJ.

To lay the groundwork for further business, the DTC wants to develop the surrounding infrastructure. It is, for example, preparing for the construction of a 200-ha logistics park adjacent the terminal. The rail connection to the harbor is also to be modernized by the end of 2014.