Polish terminal buys cranes with eye to future

Polish terminal buys cranes with eye to future    DCT Gdansk, a new deepwater container terminal under construction at the Port of Gdansk, Poland, has placed an order with Irish firm Liebherr Cranes for three post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes and five rubber-tire gantry cranes.
   The terminal company said it was investing in large cranes capable of working the largest ships in the world even though it plans to handle small regional and feeder vessels for several years after it opens for business as scheduled in June 2007.
   “The message we are sending out today is that when the major carriers decide to add a Baltic call to one of their many service strings, we will be ready,” Chief Executive James Sutcliffe, said in a statement.
   DCT Gdansk said construction for the new terminal is running ahead of schedule with pilings for the terminal boundaries completed and back filling now in progress.
   The terminal will be capable of handling about 250,000 TEUs per year, while a roll-on/roll-off berth will add another 160,000 units of capacity.