ICTSI’s Poland port expands Asia links

Baltic Container Terminal, or BCT, the business unit of International Container Terminal Services Inc. or ICTSI in Poland, has inaugurated its first-ever direct container connection with Chinese and Korean ports — a move that will open up new opportunities for the company's container transport development.

In a report on Monday, ICTSI confirmed that BCT received the first direct call from Mediterranean Shipping Company's or MSC SWAN service on 23 August.

The service links ports in Europe and the Far East and provides the Port of Gdynia with a direct connection to the Chinese and Korean ports.

Revised port rotation

Following the development, the recently revised port rotation now includes Qingdao — Busan — Ningbo — Yantian — Tanjung Pelepas — Antwerp — Gdynia — Gdansk — Klaipeda — Bremerhaven — King Abdullah Port — Singapore — Qingdao.

The addition of Busan to this rotation enables a direct connection between the port of Gdynia and South Korea, according to the company.

"I would like to congratulate MSC and the Port of Gdynia, for this historic moment in which we inaugurated the first-ever direct container connection with Chinese and Korean ports.

This milestone redefines the status of BCT and the entire Port of Gdynia. We are changing its role from the current feeder port to a full-fledged maritime import and export gateway," BCT chief executive officer Wojciech Szymulewicz said.

Szymulewicz noted that expanding direct calls allows the company to extend further its intermodal offer to new markets, including Ukraine and other Central European countries.

SWAN's service maiden call

The SWAN service's maiden call to BCT was marked by the arrival of the 318-meter box ship KURE, which discharged 1,320 containers and will take almost 2,000 containers on the return journey.

The MSC DOMNA X, another ship operating the SWAN service and sailing directly from the Far East, called on BCT on 28 August.

Back in 2003, the Razon Group's secured a 20-year concession deal from the Port Authority of Gydnia to develop, operate, and manage the container terminal in Pomerania, Gydnia, Poland. ICTSI purchased Baltycki Terminal Kontenerowy Sp. z. o. o., which had held the lease to the terminal.