Chinese state-backed operators shortlisted to develop NATO dual-use port in Poland
Poland’s Port of Gdynia Authority extended its deadline on 14 July 2026 for four shortlisted consortia to submit their bids for the public-private partnership (PPP) development of the Outer Port container terminal in Gdynia, with submissions due by 30 September 2026. The Port of Gdynia is a strategically important military hub located near several key Polish military installations that provides specialised NATO military logistics support. The Outer Port is being developed as dual-use infrastructure, with large storage yards and roll-on/roll-off ramps to support both commercial logistics and NATO/European Union (EU) rapid mobility operations. According to the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, it will shorten the time of redeployment of allied troops during armed conflicts.
Of the four shortlisted bidders, two have Chinese ownership or ties: Mota-Engil Central Europe and the Hutchison Ports Poland-Port of Felixstowe Limited consortium. Mota-Engil is a subsidiary of state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), which acquired a 32.4% stake in the Portuguese company in 2021. Port of Felixstowe is Hutchison’s British subsidiary, and while Hutchison itself is operated by a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, recent negotiations around its Panama Canal ports have underscored Beijing's political and regulatory control over the company's operations.
Aerial view of more than 200 pieces of equipment at the Port of Gdynia on 4 February 2022. NATO has enhanced its presence in the eastern part of the alliance, with battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland led by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and the United States respectively.
Image credit: Omar Marques/Getty Images
The Port of Gdynia’s existing Gdynia Container Terminal (GCT) has been wholly owned by Hutchison Ports its acquisition in 2004 and since modernised into a deep-water port with an expanded rail terminal. The neighbouring and larger Baltic Container Terminal (BCT) is a maritime and military transhipment hub for NATO, where US and allied heavy armour, including tanks and combat vehicles, are delivered. Although GCT primarily handles commercial cargo, in August 2023, it reportedly denied a request from the MV Cape Ducato, a diverted US Army vessel transporting military equipment for Poland and Ukraine, to dock. Hutchison Ports had also unsuccessfully taken part in the 2021 tender for the lease of BCT that ultimately went to Filipino operator International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI), which has also been shortlisted for the Outer Port project.
The Port of Gdynia regularly hosts US and allied joint exercises, including NATO's largest international naval exercise in the Baltic Sea. As a major arrival and staging hub for US armed forces in Europe, Gdynia is a key entry point for US military aid to Ukraine. It also adjoins Gdynia Naval Base, the home base for NATO submarine forces in the Baltic, and where the Polish Navy’s 3rd Ship Flotilla, its largest tactical unit and main strike force, is based. Nearby is the shipyard where Poland’s first Miecznik-class frigates are being built. Both the port and the shipyard were the site of several air raids by the Allied troops in the Second World War.
This is currently the largest PPP procedure conducted in Poland, in terms of estimated total project value. The successful private partner will be responsible for designing and constructing the new container terminal, arranging financing of around PLN5 billion (USD1.31 billion), and jointly operating the terminal with the Port of Gdynia Authority.
