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Four Giant STS Cranes Arrive at T3 Quay in Baltic Hub

On Sunday, October 27, 2024, four new state-of-the-art ship-to-shore (STS) cranes arrived at Baltic Hub in Gdansk. The fully assembled cranes made their way to Poland from China. This delivery marks another major milestone in the T3 project, as these are the first of the seven STS cranes that will add 1.5 MTEU of capacity to Baltic Hub in 2025.

Gdańsk residents were able to witness the remarkable sight of these colossal STS cranes — amongst the largest in Europe — arriving to T3 terminal from the nearby Stogi Beach. The four impressive machines were loaded in Changxing, China, embarking on a long journey to Baltic Hub. After almost two months at sea, covering 16,115 nautical miles (almost 29,500 kilometers), they finally arrived at the port of Gdańsk.

The arrival of these impressive STS cranes demonstrates the advanced stage of the T3 investment and brings us closer to completing the project and being ready to meet our customer’s needs in 2025. The expansion of the terminal with a third quay and storage yards will increase Baltic Hub’s annual handling capacity to 4.5 million TEU. This is a significant step in enhancing our infrastructure and strengthening Gdańsk’s position as a strategic port gateway and logistics hub in Europe, said Charles Baker, CEO of Baltic Hub.

The new STS cranes, able to handle the largest vessels in the world, are even taller than those currently operating at the terminal. Each crane, stands over 96 meters tall (140 meters with the boom raised), weighs nearly 2,000 tons and can lift containers up to a height of 55 meters, and extend across vessels to a length of 74 meters, with a lifting capacity up to 65 tons.

These quay cranes are among the most advanced in the world, equipped with drives and components from leading global manufacturers. Safety and operator comfort were primary factors in the crane design process.

The T3 terminal will eventually be equipped with seven of these STS cranes, with three more arriving in March 2025. The recently delivered STS cranes are set to begin operations in the first half of 2025.

About the Baltic Hub:

Baltic Hub Container Terminal Sp. z o.o. is Poland's largest and fastest-growing container terminal and the only deep-water terminal in the Baltic Sea. It connects Asia, the European Union with Poland and the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe and the entire Baltic Sea. The Baltic Hub receives the largest ships in the world departing from the Far East.

The company handles Polish imports, exports and transit and successfully competes with German, Dutch and Belgian ports. With its excellent connections to destinations, the Baltic Hub is a natural gateway for goods from the world, not only for Poland but for the whole of Central and Eastern Europe. The terminal has excellent land connections to countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary and Germany. In 2023, the Baltic Hub handled 2.05 million TEUs and currently employs more than 1,400 people.

The terminal is owned by PSA International (40%), the Polish Development Fund (30%) and the IFM Global Infrastructure Fund (30%). PSA International is a leading global port group and a trusted partner for cargo operators around the world. With flagship operations in Singapore and Antwerp, PSA's global network includes more than 170 locations in 44 countries around the world. The Polish Development Fund Group (PFR) is a group of state-owned financial institutions that offers instruments for the development of companies, local governments and individuals, investing in sustainable social and economic development. IFM Investors is a global institutional fund management company.