Sea

The Port of Gdansk hosted the second meeting of the European Ports Alliance, an initiative launched a year ago in Brussels to strengthen cooperation between EU ports and combat cross-border threats. The event brought together 120 representatives of European ports, EU institutions, law enforcement agencies and companies offering security solutions. Current threats, including drug trafficking, cybercrime and smuggling, were discussed.

The Baltic Container Terminal (BCT) in Gdynia, Poland, has become part of MSC’s Britannia Ocean service, connecting Asia with Northern Europe. The new route includes the world’s largest ports: Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Vung Tau, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp and Liverpool. The first vessel to call at BCT was MSC Rose on April 9, and MSC Daria arrived on April 17.

A new port fleet base has been launched in the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda. It is a key infrastructure facility for accommodating vessels and equipment responsible for harbour maintenance. Environmental services, divers, repair shops and vessel crews will work here, ensuring stable and prompt support for all processes in the port.

Georgia is negotiating with the Asian Development Bank on a possible sovereign loan to finance the construction of the land infrastructure of the Anaklia port. According to Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili, the loan will be channeled through the state budget, while the bank will not be directly involved in the project itself.

In the first quarter of 2025, the Port of Rotterdam recorded a 6.9% increase in liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering volumes compared to the same period last year, reaching 230 thousand cubic meters. This indicates an active expansion of the global fleet of vessels powered by gas motor fuel.

The hull of the 130-metre 096 Incat, the world’s largest battery-powered catamaran, has been launched at the Incat shipyard in Hobart, Tasmania. The ferry is being built for South American operator Buquebus and is the largest project in the Australian shipbuilder’s history.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has supported the new energy and climate package presented by the Dutch government in the spring budget memorandum. Together with Deltalinqs, the City of Rotterdam and the province of South Holland, the port emphasizes the importance of investments in industrial sustainability. CEO of the port Boudewijn Simons noted that the measures provide short-term support and create a foundation for sustainable development, but that further cooperation with the government is needed to create an attractive investment climate.

The construction of an oil loading terminal will begin in the port of Kuryk in 2025, said the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Marat Karabayev. Although the exact timing and volume of investment have not yet been disclosed, the ministry emphasizes the strategic importance of the project and specifies that in the future, the port also plans to build a terminal for storing and shipping “green” hydrogen.

On April 27, 2025, the Port of La Spezia welcomed the new Equinox-class containership Alva Maersk, one of Maersk Line’s most modern vessels, capable of carrying up to 16,500 TEU. Launched in March from Singapore, the vessel is on its maiden voyage west on the AE11/SE2 route, part of the Gemini integrated network. Port operations began in the morning and concluded on schedule on the evening of April 28 at the Fornelli berth.

In the first quarter of 2025, the Port of Klaipeda handled 9.75 million tons of cargo, 15% more than in the same period last year. The growth of 1.3 million tons was driven by record figures in the container and LNG cargo segments. Klaipeda’s share among the Baltic ports grew to almost 41%, strengthening its leading position in the market.