Europe's largest shipping container terminal has opened in Hungary. It expects to handle goods from China, Japan and South Korea too, and will play an important role in Eurasian traffic, delivering goods on an alternative route and in larger quantities than before.

Built near the Ukrainian border, the port will be able to handle up to one million 20-foot shipping containers each year, with hopes it could play a key role in the export of grain from Ukraine to the rest of the world.

The East-West Gate (EWG) is Europe's first land-based intermodal container terminal located at the gates of the European Union. The $95 million terminal has been under construction for over a year, with more than 10 kilometers of railway lines built in that time.

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The new terminal is the length of 30 football fields and uses some of the most modern logistics technology, including remotely operated cranes. Much of the 5G equipment used in the project was supplied by China's Huawei. 

The Hungarian government says the terminal will become the largest and most powerful land port on the continent and will play an important role in delivering products to Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Germany.

Hungary hopes that the new terminal will be in high demand as rail freight traffic between Asia and Europe continues to grow year on year and capacity at terminals along the Belarusian-Polish border is limited.

The terminal could also play a crucial role in the shipment of Ukrainian grain, which has been difficult to export since the conflict with Russia began.

Hungary could potentially ramp up the daily shipment capacity of Ukrainian grain from 4,000 tonnes to up to 10,000 tonnes via this new route. Ukraine produces 9 percent of the world's grain and without reliable access to those supplies, warnings of a global food crisis are mounting.

The EWG terminal also has specialized equipment that is unique to Europe. A series of giant cranes, with a lifting capacity of 45 tonnes each, will allow heavier cargo to be processed.