DCT Gdansk prepares for lift-off

The STS crane will be assembled on-site ready to handle the first vessel in June this year, when DCT Gdansk Phase I begins commercial operations. Delivery of the remaining cranes will take place during the spring. The Liebherr STS cranes incorporate Bromma twin-lift spreaders and have a lifting capacity of 60 tonnes. With a 52 m outreach, they will be capable of handling ships carrying 19 containers across on-deck.

DCT Gdansk has also confirmed orders for secondary handling equipment, including a reachstacker, a seven-high empty container handler and an SL32 ro-ro truck from Konecranes Lifttrucks. Continuing construction of Phase I will be completed by the end of September, when 650 m of quay dredged to a depth of 16.5 m will give a storage capacity of 500,000 teu. The timing of when to commence the next 500,000 teu phase will be determined by demand.

Fred Kamperman, general manager of DCT Gdansk, said: “The delivery of these cranes – well ahead of schedule – marks a key stage in the development of the terminal. Once erected, they will give us the ability to handle vessels of 6,000 teu and greater. We have been delighted with the pace of construction progress to date: quay, surfacing, buildings and rail facilities are all in an advanced state of completion.”