WORKS IN PROGRESS
NEW DEEP-WATER HUB FOR GERMAN BALTIC PORT A two-phase project to expand the port of Mukran into an international deep-water agricultural handling hub has begun on the German Baltic coast, reports Tom Todd At a cost of about €30 million, Mukran’s Berth 3a is being expanded and the port basin deepened to 14.95m by the beginning of 2023. An estimated 640,000 cu m of sand will be dredged so that ships with a capacity of up to120,000 tons can be fully loaded directly at the pier. Mukran spokesman Felix Zimmermann told MJ the pier was being extended by 130m to 330m in work for completion hopefully before year’s end. Work on the harbour entrance would follow next year, he said. The first construction phase brings together the Munichbased, globally active BayWa Group - whose core handling includes agriculture, energy and building materials. Its partner is the Rügen-based Fährhafen Sassnitz - of which Mukran is a part.
We have always said that the German agricultural business is part of BayWa’s DNA and the investment that has now been launched underlines our position very clearly. Our goal is to become the most efficient handling point for grain and feedstuffs on the Baltic In addition to the port expansion, BayWa and German shipping company VIELA Export will together invest €5.5 million in a loading facility and two additional grain silos, each for up to 12,500 tons. VIELA Export operates out of Mukran and also Vierow inland. It handles products including grain, feedstuffs and fertilisers. BayWa said that as a result of the joint investment it would be possible in future to load 1,000 tons an hour at peak periods at two loading bays - 40% faster than now. Storage capacity will increase from 40,000 tons now to 65,000 tons, it said.
Photo BayWa AG
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The company peredicted the changes would mean that BayWa will be able to double its grain handling in Mukran to two million tons a year. Who will handle the construction work was not initially reported but BayWa said since Berth 3a was being built separately, ongoing BayWa operations would not be restricted by the construction work. “In recent years, BayWa has become strongly internationalised in the agricultural business, but without losing its roots in agriculture here at home”, said BayWa CEO Klaus Josef Lutz.“We have always said that the German agricultural business is part of BayWa’s DNA and the investment that has now been launched underlines our position very clearly. Our goal is to become the most efficient handling point for grain and feedstuffs on the Baltic”, he declared.
8 Mukran: aiming for the number one spot in agri-handling on the German Baltic
Gdansk port leases The Port of Gdańsk Authority launched a tender procedure to select the lessees for a new port area that will be created within the boundaries of the Port in the Gdańsk Bay. DCT Gdańsk is the largest container terminal on the Baltic Sea. Since the start of its operations in 2007, two deep-water quays (T1 and T2 - launched in 2007 and 2016 respectively) have been built
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With the construction of the new terminal, known as “Baltic Hub 3”, a third deep-water quay located at the new port area will be created, increasing the handling capacity of DCT Gdańsk by 1.5 million TEUs, to 4.5 million TEUs. The investment is worth Euro 450 million, and the third deep-water quay will be 717-metre-long with a depth of 18.0m and 36 hectares of yard will be built. The Baltic Hub 3 project also involves the
purchase of 7 quay cranes that are able to handle the world’s largest vessels, and 20 semi-automated Rail Mounted Gantry cranes for the container yard. The construction is planned to start in 2Q2022 and Baltic Hub 3 is scheduled to be operational by mid-2024. When completed, DCT Gdańsk will be among the largest container terminals in Europe in terms of handling capacity.
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