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On 12 March 2025, three brand new STS (Ship-To-Shore) cranes arrived at the Baltic Hub deep-sea container terminal in Gdansk – the last of seven planned for the terminal expansion project with the new T3 berth. Commissioning of T3 by the end of 2025 will allow Baltic Hub to significantly increase its capacity to handle the largest container ships in the world and strengthen its position as the leading container hub in the Baltic Sea.

Plastic recycling startup Xycle has secured funding to build its first commercial plant in the Port of Rotterdam. The funding comes from a consortium of investors including Dow, ING, Invest-NL, Vopak and lender Polestar Capital. The plant is scheduled to open by the end of 2026 and will be able to process 21,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually, turning it into feedstock for new products.

The Coordination Council for the Development of Competition in Ports has begun its work under the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine. Its main goal is to create equal conditions for business, improve regulatory mechanisms and establish a dialogue between the state and the port industry. An important aspect will be the introduction of transparent rules for the use of port infrastructure, including land use issues that remain unresolved.

The Freeport of Riga Council has approved an investment plan for 2025, according to which EUR 7.43 million will be invested in the development of the port, which is 17% more than last year. The funds will be used to modernize the port infrastructure, digitalize and implement strategically important projects. As noted by the Chairman of the Council Sandis Steins, the port is actively working on creating modern logistics and production areas, attracting investors, but the current infrastructure needs to be modernized to meet the requirements of large projects.

ASCO Chairman of the Board Rauf Veliyev held a meeting with the delegation of Uzbekistan, headed by the Director of the Center for the Study of Transport and Logistics Development under the Ministry of Transport Bekzod Kholmatov. During the visit, representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Uzbekistan Railways received detailed information on key transport and logistics initiatives of Azerbaijan and the activities of ASCO.

According to the results of 2024, the cargo turnover of Georgian ports reached 15.5 million tons, which is 5.8% more than in 2023. The total number of vessel calls was 1,683 units. Of these, 38.5% were general cargo carriers, 30.1% were liquid bulk carriers, 22.5% were container ships, and the remaining 8.9% included dry cargo ships, tugs and specialized vessels.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has presented its annual report for 2024, entitled “Navigating to a sustainable future”. Despite geopolitical and economic challenges, the port has demonstrated stability and continued to develop actively. Total investments increased by 11% to €320.6 million. The funds are directed not only towards modernizing the infrastructure, but also towards projects to strengthen social and environmental sustainability.

The Port of Gdańsk Authority has signed a contract with the general contractor Budimex for the reconstruction of the Węglowe quay in the Inner Port. The project, worth PLN 127 million, will be completed by the end of 2027 and will make the port more attractive to logistics operators and carriers. The work will be carried out in two stages: first, 252 meters of the quay will be modernized, then another 294 meters. It is planned to build a new reinforced concrete platform, crane tracks, water supply and drainage systems, as well as deepen the water area to 11.2 m.

Hapag-Lloyd has reached a historic milestone in its fleet expansion. In February 2024, the company put the 2,433 TEU Little Concert into service, chartered from Greek shipowner Minerva. This move allowed the carrier’s charter fleet to exceed the 1 million TEU mark for the first time. The new container ship is already in operation on the Taiwan Express (TWX) service connecting Singapore, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Tanjung Pelepas.

In 2024, container throughput at the Port of Rotterdam grew for the first time in three years, increasing by 2.8%. The main drivers were consumer goods and food, for which demand increased significantly. According to Frank van der Laan, Senior Advisor for Business Intelligence at the Port Authority, this growth could continue, especially after the planned capacity expansions are completed. However, he notes that the port remains affected by geopolitical risks.