With the new service, the Port of Gdansk will gain a direct connection to Busan, South Korea’s largest container port and the 6th largest in the world. The first call of a container ship owned by CMA CGM at the Baltic Hub terminal is scheduled for August 15. From October, ships on the FAL1 service will roll into Gdansk regularly and weekly.
The French CMA CGM is one of the largest container shipowners. The French Asia Line 1 (FAL1) service will serve the following ports: Gdansk – Wilhelmshaven – Rotterdam – Algeciras – Port Klang – Busan – Ningbo – Shanghai – Yantian – Singapore – Tangier – Dunkirk – Le Havre and Hamburg.
The container ship opening the new route on August 15 will be CMA CGM Zheng He (IMO No. 9706906; year of construction 2015; GT 179,922; dwt 185,199 t; 17,859 TEU; 1,400 slots for refrigerated containers) flying the Maltese flag. She is 399m long and 54m wide. The next call is scheduled for September 12. Then the LNG-powered vessel CMA CGM Concorde (IMO No. 9839208; year of construction 2021; GT 236 583; dwt 221 322 t; 23,104 TEU; 2200 slots for refrigerated containers) will arrive at the Port of Gdansk under the French flag, 400 m long and 62 m wide.
The shipowner says in an official announcement on August 1 that the first departure from Asia to the West as part of the extended service will involve the CMA CGM Jacques Saade (IMO No. 9839179; year of construction 2020; GT 236,583; carrying capacity 221,251 t; 23,104 TEUs; 2,200 slots for refrigerated containers), which will depart Busan on 10 August and is expected in Gdansk on 5 October 2023 (voyage number 0FLFNW1MA).
From October onwards, vessels on the FAL1 service will roll into Gdansk on a weekly basis.
– Some of the vessels of the shipowner CMA CGM operating the FAL1 service will be equipped with modern LNG propulsion. This fits in with current EU environmental policy. The time for transporting containers from Busan to Gdansk has been set by the shipowner at 54 days,” explains Tomasz Braun, Board Representative for International Relations of ZMPG S.A. – Busan is already the second Korean port after the Port of Ulsan to have a connection to the Port of Gdansk. The shipowner will also offer to extend the intermodal transport service from the Port of Gdansk to over a dozen destinations in Poland and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Productive discussions during the Business Mixer
The opening of another ocean service is, among other things, the result of the Port of Gdansk’s activities in South Korea as part of ‘Business Mixer 2023’, an international conference held by the Port of Gdansk Authority in Seoul at the end of April this year. Meetings between Polish and Korean companies and a study visit to the Port of Busan were great opportunities to build or strengthen business relations.
South Korea is today the leading foreign investor in Poland. Nearly 550 companies with Korean capital operate here, putting the Republic of Korea in second place, after the USA, among the largest non-European investors.
– Korean investments in Poland, as well as the increasing activity of Polish entrepreneurs in Korea, force the shipping market to open more connections to the Port of Gdansk. As a result, more and more customers are using the services of our port, not only from Poland, but also from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Ukraine,” adds Tomasz Braun.
For Asia, the Port of Gdansk is the maritime gateway to Central and Eastern European markets, the most dynamically developing region in the European Union. It is an ideal market for 100 million consumers and an important place for the production and ever-growing export of high-quality products to markets worldwide.
The Port of Gdansk’s strategic location, modern infrastructure, competitive prices and special economic zone status give it an advantage over other European ports. These advantages have contributed to the growth and success of the port in recent years, making it an important hub for trade and investment between Asia and Europe.
Source: PortalMorski.pl
