Dunkirk picks MSC's TiL for its second container terminal, due in 2029
A 1,000-metre quay on 68 hectares could eventually handle 2 million TEU a year
The port of Dunkirk has confirmed Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), the terminal arm of MSC, as developer and operator of its second container terminal. The supervisory board of the port authority was briefed on 25 September on both the construction progress and the talks with TiL.
The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on 6 July that carries the promise of a terminal agreement. It provides for a 1,000-metre deepwater quay and about 68 hectares of land. The port authority builds the core infrastructure; TiL develops the terminal and installs the equipment. TiL proposes to develop the site in phases, with capacity that could eventually reach 2 million TEU a year, and operations are due to start in 2029.
The new quay in the West Port is 1,000 metres long with a 170-metre connecting section and a dredged depth of 17.5 metres, enough to berth two very large container ships at once. Work started on 7 May 2026 and the first diaphragm wall panel was poured on 28 July. Since the end of August the contractors have been placing five panels a week, out of 188 planned, and the quay is contractually due for completion in January 2029.
Bids for hydraulic excavation and marine dredging were submitted in August, negotiations began in September and a contract is expected before the end of the year. A new road linking the West Port directly to the A16 motorway interchange is scheduled to open in early October.
The expansion, part of the CAP 2020 programme approved by the supervisory board on 22 November 2024, is financed by €127m of French state aid authorised by the European Commission in December 2024, €87m from the state under the State-Region Planning Contract and a €200m loan from Banque des Territoires repayable over 30 years.
Dunkirk handled 747,000 TEU in 2025, up 14% and equal to 88% of its current terminal capacity. Hinterland container volumes rose 20% to 520,000 TEU, the sixth consecutive year of growth. The new terminal will sit next to the Flanders Terminal, operated by CMA CGM's Terminal Link, which is in the middle of a €140m modernisation to take its capacity to 1.5 million TEU.
The port authority expects an MSC hub to add maritime services and connections through Dunkirk. Across the port area, current activity generates about €4bn of added value a year and supports 30,000 jobs, and projects under way are expected to add another 20,000 jobs by 2030.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 29 September 2026.
