Dunkirk breaks ground on second container terminal
€303m expansion aims to more than double the French port's box capacity
The French port of Dunkirk has started work on a second container terminal, kicking off a €303m ($346m) expansion intended to more than double its box handling capacity.
Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque has handed the quay civil works package to a joint venture led by Spie Batignolles. The scope covers a 1,000-metre deepwater quay wall, together with a 170-metre connecting section, dredged to a depth of 17.5 metres. Once finished, the terminal will be able to serve two ultra-large containerships at the same time, with construction due to run to 2029.
The quay is the heart of Dunkirk's CAP 2020 programme, which passed a major funding milestone in December 2024 when the European Commission cleared €127m in French state aid. The port is aiming to raise capacity from the 850,000 teu currently available at the Terminal des Flandres to roughly 2m teu.
The push follows a record stretch for the northern-range port. Terminal des Flandres moved 747,000 teu in 2025, equal to about 88% of its installed capacity, reinforcing the case for more infrastructure as congestion and capacity strains persist across parts of northern Europe. Dunkirk has also been rebuilding its liner relevance, having been restored earlier this year to the Ocean Alliance Far East-North Europe FAL1 service run by CMA CGM.
