Finneco III, one of the newest and largest ro-ro ships to operate in the Baltic, called at the Port of Gdynia. This was done as part of tests to show whether such vessels can come to the port more often even before the wharf and ro-ro ramps are rebuilt. Work is expected to start soon.

Finneco III arrived at the Port of Gdynia at the Czech quay around noon on Tuesday, October 18. The vessel docked at the OT Port Gdynia terminal. This was the first visit of this vessel to Gdynia, but probably not the last. The ship was handed over to the shipowner for operation this year, so it is one of the newest and most modern vessels in the Baltic. It measures 238 meters in length and 34 meters in width, with a deadweight capacity of up to 17,377 tons and a gross tonnage of 60,515 tons. Finneco III has a loading line of 5,800 meters.

Finneco III "proudly represents the colors of Finnlines"

The ro-ro vessel appeared in Gdynia as part of tests to show the capabilities of this type of ship calling at the Port of Gdynia.

„Today, the hybrid ECO-class ro-ro vessel with a loading line of more than 5 km called at the Port of Gdynia. It is worth noting that this is a modern ship equipped with efficient lithium-ion batteries, which allow her to move with zero emissions within the port area. The upper deck is equipped with solar panels covering an area of about 600 square meters. This is the first such innovative and environmentally friendly vessel in our port, which fits perfectly with our efforts focused on introducing green technologies. The vessel is designed to be flexible for all ro-ro cargoes. With a growing fleet of ships calling at Gdynia, we are confident of further developing our cooperation with the OT Terminal and the NTA company, which has been importing paper using Gdynia's infrastructure. Last week we signed a letter of intent, which mobilizes us to undertake work to optimize the infrastructure necessary for paper import," commented Jacek Sadaj, president of the Board of the Port of Gdynia S.A..

„We want to check whether the current infrastructure of the Port of Gdynia is capable of handling vessels of this size. Our plans when it comes to Poland are quite ambitious, we plan to develop our connections from the country," said Rafał Kwapisz, managing director of Finnlines Poland. Kwapisz added that this is one of twelve modern ships ordered by the Grimaldi Group, of which Finnlines is a part, and at the same time one of three ordered in a configuration designed for Finnlines. „She proudly represents our colors" Kwapisz said.

At the same time, the director of Finnlines Poland made no secret of the fact that Finneco III's call at the Port of Gdynia is part of tests to show whether this type of ship can appear in the port more often.

„We are conducting market research. There is potential for this type of vessel to appear more often, but we need to work on this a bit more and make sure that in fact the vessels will be able to call safely”, he said.

The Finneco III's test call was also welcomed by the hosts, namely the company managing the ro-ro terminal, OT Port Gdynia.

„It is an unusual ship because it is adapted to the new standards. It is hybrid, it does not pollute the air in the port. We have a completely new quality for the Port of Gdynia, both in terms of technology and the size of the vessel," stressed OT Port CEO Jerzy Majewski.

More capacity will come soon

Finneco III, after mooring at the current ro-ro ramp was not able to open the entire stern gate due to its size and only one part of it was opened. However, the Port of Gdynia, OT Port and NTA are working to increase the terminal's capacity.

According to the plan, the Port of Gdynia is expected to start work soon on expanding the Czech, Romanian and US quays, which surround Basin V on three sides. This will make it possible to regularly accommodate the largest ro-ro sailing in the Baltic.

„The three companies - Port of Gdynia Authority, OT Port and NTA, while discussing the future of Gdynia, came to the conclusion that it is worth joining forces to modernize and expand the terminal we have behind us. The letter of intent was signed on October 13," said Grzegorz Brzostowski, president of shipping company NTA. „The letter of intent talks about modernizing and expanding the ro-ro terminal, the possibility of handling ships of this size and class, and that as many goods as possible can pass through the port in a short period of time to supply Poland, but also the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Brzostowski added.

„Of course, hydrotechnical projects always drag on a bit, require a lot of preparation, and are not cheap projects”, explained Jerzy Majewski of OT Port. „Ultimately, there will be two ramps at this wharf, which will be able to handle two such vessels simultaneously.”

After the reconstruction, the Czech quay will be able to berth ro-ro vessels of about 240 meters in length. By building a land on part of the basin, new storage areas will appear. The aforementioned wharf, which is about 180 meters long, will be rebuilt, as will the United States (about 300 meters long) and Romanian wharves (at a length of about 170 meters). The existing B ramp will be demolished, and A and A' ramps will be rebuilt. The work will involve moving the existing lines of the Repair, Front and West quays a maximum of 180 meters into the basin, and creating a new quay line enclosing part of the basin.

More cargo

The planned expansion and the development of cooperation with Finnlines are a way to increase the capabilities of the Port of Gdynia, and at the same time the amount of cargo handled.

„We have the opportunity, together with the OT Terminal and the NTA company, to develop those cargo groups that we have known in the port for a long time. This is primarily paper. We had the opportunity recently to sign a letter of intent, thanks to which the project team will analyze and develop disciplines related to the import of paper to the Port of Gdynia and develop this branch in our Gdynia port," explained Jacek Sadaj, president of the Port of Gdynia.

„Together with the shipowner, we are working on acquiring more cargoes that this ship sailing on the Helsinki-Western Europe line all the way to Bilbao will be able to bring to the Port of Gdynia,” confirmed Jerzy Majewski of OT Port Gdynia.