The new lease extends the tenure of BCT under the management and operation of Philippine-headquartered ICTSI, the 100 percent owner of BCT. ICTSI has been active in the Port of Gdynia since 2003, investing over USD100 million in the terminal’s facilities, personnel and general service capability.
Future investments are expected to match and exceed this figure. They will initially complement work underway by the Port Authority of Gdynia S.A. to upgrade the port infrastructure to facilitate the access and handling of larger vessel sizes.
Important component in Poland’s port infrastructure
Stage 1 works have been completed, enabling BCT to handle vessels with an LOA of up to 366m. Subsequent developments will provide access for and handling much larger vessels of up to 400m LOA.
BCT represents an important component in Poland’s port infrastructure – it functions as a key maritime gateway for feeder services, relaying cargo to/from the main North European hubs and as the main port of call for direct services – the Scan/Balt – USA and the North West Continent – India Pakistan Services.
The development work in hand promises to enable BCT to consolidate and expand handling both service categories to the direct benefit of exporters and importers. Equally, it will facilitate handling special cargoes such as advanced military equipment.
Stringent security requirements
“BCT has considerable expertise in this area, meeting stringent security requirements, and as such enjoys the trust of the Polish army and Poland’s NATO Allies,” said Wojciech Szymulewicz, BCT chief executive officer.
Recent years have also seen BCT make its mark in the handling of wind turbine components destined for use in onshore wind farms. It further expects to deploy this expertise in conjunction with offshore wind farms, which are planned for development over the short to medium term.
“We are pleased to extend our long and positive relationship with the Port of Gdynia, said Hans-Ole Madsen, ICTSI senior vice president, regional head – Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), speaking on the occasion of the formal signing of the lease extension.
“We look forward to playing our part in the next growth phase foreseen for the port and to rolling out new investments in a sustainable way that will meet the latest client requirements, build the terminal’s strategic attributes and maximise positive economic impact across the board, for BCT, the port and city as a whole.”