Early this morning, 24 July, the long-awaited first 400-metre container ship arrived at the Port of Gdynia, becoming the largest vessel ever to call at the port. MSC Venice berthed at the Baltic Container Terminal (BCT).

At 400 metres in length, ocean-going container ships of this class are the largest vessels capable of entering the Baltic Sea. In the early hours of Friday, 24 July, one such vessel made its maiden call at the Port of Gdynia. After years of infrastructure upgrades aimed at accommodating ships of this size, Gdynia has now joined the ranks of the Baltic's leading deep-water container ports.

A large group of guests gathered at the Pilot Station to welcome the port's first-ever 400-metre vessel, including Piotr Gorzeński, President of the Port of Gdynia Authority. Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewka also travelled to Gdynia for the occasion, with a media briefing scheduled for 11:00.

For ships such as MSC Venice to call at the Port of Gdynia, the Port of Gdynia Authority, the Maritime Office in Gdynia, the Polish Navy and numerous other institutions worked for years to prepare the necessary infrastructure. The key elements of the programme included deepening the port basins to 15.5 metres and widening the port entrance to 140 metres. The project also required the relocation of the floating dock belonging to PGZ Naval Shipyard, making it possible to construct a new turning basin capable of accommodating the world's largest container vessels. Another essential component was the modernisation of the Helskie Quay, including the installation of new ship-to-shore container cranes.