The Enforcer, a container ship flying the Dutch flag, inaugurated a new service of the French carrier CMA CGM in the Port of Gdańsk
At the end of July, the first container ship calling at the Scandinavia West Coast Express (SWX) service, which connects Poland with Denmark, Sweden and Lithuania, arrived at the Baltic Hub in the Port of Gdańsk. The new weekly connection is intended to improve delivery services and strengthen the role of the Port of Gdańsk as a key logistics hub in the Baltic Sea region.
The first ship to call at Gdańsk as part of the new service is the Enforcer. It is a small vessel with a length of 134.65 m and a capacity of 750 TEU. It was built in 2003 and sails under the Dutch flag.
The SWX service is a direct connection between Scandinavia and the southern Baltic Sea, operating on the following route: Gothenburg – Aarhus – Klaipėda – Gdańsk – Gothenburg. SWX is also to provide connections with Short Sea Services in Gdańsk and Klaipėda, as well as with CMA CGM Far East services in Gdańsk. The connection between Aarhus and Gothenburg with Poland and Lithuania is intended to be a more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to road transport, and will also provide good connections with CMA CGM’s Far East services calling at the Baltic Hub in the Port of Gdańsk.
Container ships are due to arrive in Gdańsk every Sunday. The transit time from the Polish port to Gothenburg is 4 days.
What does this mean for the port? ‘Even more ships operating on CMA CGM connections. In January this year, the carrier launched a modified Baltic Express feeder connection, which includes Finnish, Latvian and Polish ports in its rotation. Since August 2023, our port has also been served by the French Asia Line 1 (FAL1) service, which includes regular container ships operating on the route connecting Asian and European ports’, explains Maksymilian Czapiewski from the Port of Gdańsk.
Not just Scandinavia. Leading destination: Asia
The Port of Gdańsk currently maintains four direct ocean services with Asia, operated by the largest global shipowners.
CMA CGM continues to operate its expanded FAL1 line, served by 400-metre megamax container ships. The service operates on a weekly rotation: Ningbo – Shanghai – Yantian – Singapore – Tangier Med – Dunkirk – Southampton – Gdańsk – Le Havre – Port Klang – Ningbo.
Furthermore, Ocean Alliance (CMA CGM, Evergreen, COSCO Shipping and OOCL) maintains the FAL5/NE1/LL1/AEU1 services connecting the ports of the Far East with the Baltic Hub terminal in Gdańsk.
The shipowner MSC has launched two independent services providing regular weekly connections with ports in, for example, China, South Korea and Vietnam.
The inclusion of the Port of Gdańsk in the global shipping networks of the largest operators has not only resulted in dynamic growth in container cargo handling, but has also significantly increased its importance in supply chains. Gdańsk has therefore strengthened its position as a key container hub in the Baltic Sea and a strategic entry point for the markets of Central and Eastern Europe.
