Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller and the continued importance of shipping in Gdańsk

On August 21 2013, the world’s biggest container ship, the MV Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, arrived in Gdańsk’s harbour and docked at the Deepwater Container Terminal 1 (DCT). The ship is 400 metres long, 59 metres wide, and 100 metres tall, and Gdańsk’s DCT is the only port on the Baltic that can handle a ship of such magnitude.

Gdańsk has long been known as an important shipping port and records of its trades go back to the year 1000. Due to its location, Gdańsk quickly became a major trade hub, serving both Poland itself via the Vistula river and commercially overseas via its Baltic seaport. During the 15^th and 17^th centuries, Gdańsk played an important role as a link between the West and the East, and the current relationship with the Mærsk line of ships renews and strengthens this role. The Mærsk Line EEE-Class vessels will be used for trade on the Asia – North Europe route.

Ship's docked beside the Maritime Museum.

You cannot visit Gdańsk without noting the importance of shipping to the region. The smell of the salty sea hangs in the air and the summer days are heavy with the humidity one associates with a town by the sea. From the ship-in-a-bottle souvenirs to the shipping cranes dotted about the horizon, the maritime history of the city cannot be escaped. The port of Gdańsk contributes greatly to the city’s economy, growth and opportunities and the industry employs many people.

My grandmother was employed by Lloyd’s Register of Shipping in Gdańsk. Lloyd’s Register is a maritime classification and independent risk management organisation that set up its Polish offices in 1957. My grandmother worked there for several decades until her retirement. Lloyd’s treated its employees very well, and in the post-war and Communist eras, this was very important. Not only was my grandmother very well-paid for the clerical work she provided the company, but she also received a pension from Lloyd’s upon her retirement, something that not every company could provide in Poland. In addition to this, Lloyd’s understood that times were tough in Poland, especially during the Communist era, when essential items were few and far between and a bar of Lux soap was considered a great luxury. Lloyd’s would often provide its employees with gifts and food parcels during this time, because no matter how well-paid the staff were, if food supplies were scarce there was not much that could be done.

The commitment between Gdańsk and the Mærsk Line highlights the continued importance of shipping in the area, and the relationship with such a large company will provide future generations with the sorts of benefits that my grandmother received through her own maritime connection.