France's Port of Dunkirk invests €303 million to build second container terminal

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Port of Dunkirk has launched the construction of its second container terminal, an expansion project aimed at more than doubling container handling capacity. The project budget is €303 million ($346 million).

The Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque has awarded the terminal civil engineering package to a joint venture led by Spie Batignolles. The work includes building a 1,000-meter deep-water quay wall and a 170-meter connecting section, with dredging to a depth of 17.5 meters.

Once completed, the new facility will be able to handle two ultra-large container vessels simultaneously. The entire project is expected to continue until 2029.

This terminal is a core project of Dunkirk's "CAP 2020" plan. In December 2024, the European Commission approved €127 million in French state aid for the project, thereby resolving a key funding obstacle.

Dunkirk aims to increase its container throughput capacity from the current 850,000 TEUs at the Terminal des Flandres to approximately 2 million TEUs.

This expansion follows a record year for the northern French port. In 2025, the Terminal des Flandres handled 747,000 TEUs, representing about 88% of its facility capacity, which strengthened the port's case for further investment in infrastructure, as some ports in Northern Europe continue to face congestion and capacity pressure.

Dunkirk is also regaining importance in shipping routes. Earlier this year, the port regained the call of the Ocean Alliance's Far East-Northern Europe FAL1 service, operated by CMA CGM.