Once completed, the facility will be the largest deepsea container terminal in Poland.

Mr Wilson, who recently attended the signing of the contract in Gdansk, said: 'The British Ports industry is a world leader in port construction, operation and equipment. DCT Gdansk is to the fore in using UK expertise and investment to help Polish ports - and the Polish economy - to reach their potential.

'This new container terminal will play an important role in boosting Poland's seaborne trade within the EU and across the world as Poland greets the opportunities and challenges of EU accession. I believe that other British ports companies have much to offer Poland, and for this reason my Government is sponsoring a delegation of companies to visit this year's BALTEXPO trade fair in Gdansk. I hope that the members of this delegation are able to bring as much to Polish ports as DCT Gdansk has.'

DCT Gdansk is a company formed by a consortium of leading port and container terminal operators in the UK, with worldwide experience in container terminal operations and design, including Felixstowe, Thamesport, Malta, Dubai, Singapore and Shanghai DCT Gdansk's bid to win the Gdansk port project was supported by UK Trade & Investment and the British Embassy in Warsaw, and UK Trade & Investment, in conjunction with the British Embassy in Warsaw, is sponsoring the delegation of UK ports companies to attend the BALTEXPO ports trade fair in Gdansk in September 2004. It is hoped that DCT Gdansk's success will help other UK ports companies to win business in Poland.