Port of Gdańsk – XXI Century

Development of the Port of Gdańsk

in the perspective of co-financing from the EU structural funds,

which guarantees improved access to the port

On 27 August 2007 a press conference was held at the Ministry of Regional Development. There, the list of the key projects approved for inclusion in the Operational Programme ‘Infrastructure and Environment’ was announced.

The scope of the projects to be co-financed by the European Union includeslinking the Port of Gdańsk with the national road and railway network which constitutes a section of the Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T, Corridor VI. Creating the connection will involve:

  • building the Sucharski Route and a tunnel under the Martwa Wisłacanal to improve access to the Port from the east and west (the tentative total cost of the investment adds up to € 200 million);
  • building the S7 double carriageway(the tentative total cost of the investment entitled‘Linking Gdańsk and Warsawvia the S7 double carriageway’amounts to€ 1247.27 million and includesa section of prime importance for the Port, namely a8.636 km long section of the Southern Ring Road planned to connect the A1 motorway with the Sucharski Route);
  • building a double track railway bridge over Martwa Wisła combined with modernisation of line No. 226(the tentative total cost of this investment: € 80 million);

To arrive at a comprehensive solution to the issue of transport to/from the Port of Gdańsk it is also necessary to modernise Słowacki, Kościuszko, and Hallera Streets and construct a new section of the existing ‘green road’. That project has also been entered for the OPIE competition procedure.

Once implemented, the strategic and supra-regional investments will contribute to solving the existing transport problems of the Port of Gdańsk. Execution of the above-mentioned projects will eliminate the barriers which hinder its development. This, in turn, is of particular importance considering the Port’s location on the Trans-European Transport Corridor VI running from Scandinavia to South-Eastern Europe. The significance of the Port becomes even higher in the perspective of the project which envisagesthe establishment of ‘Sea Motorways’ starting from Gdańsk. Their prime purpose, as defined in the Marco Polo II programme, is to improve short sea shipping which takes over from road freight transport, and develop intermodal services.

In view of the guaranteed financing and the pursuance of the investments connected with enhancing the Port’s access infrastructure, the Port of Gdańsk Authority can proceed to the next phase of development.

The heretofore plans envisaged the port’s expansion into the sea based the existing terminalsand refulated areas. Now, we can boldly outline a new vision of the Port expanding beyond the current administrative borders, mainly into the sea.

The new long-term vision of the Port’s development assumes gradual releaseof the land on the leftbank of the InnerPort and its transfer onto the City of Gdańsk for urban development. In replacement, it is assumed a newCentralPortwill be constructed on the refulated land stretching between the mouth of the PortCanal and the Fuel Base of the NorthernPort.

To use the opportunity created by the development of the road and rail network, and in consideration of the Port’s geographic location the Port of Gdańsk Authority has identified three major strategic goals:

  1. Acceleration of the port’s further development towards universality

The universal nature of the Port depends on many factors, to name e.g. efficient and convenient access from the sea and land. The cornerstone of universality, however, comes down to the existence of a base of modern terminals which enable the handling of a broad range of cargo, particularly general merchandise. Universality of the Portis also defined in terms of its ability to provide safe service to the broadest possible range of vessels, especially those of the maximum sizes requiring deepwater quays. The Port’s long-term Development Strategy is based on long-term developmental projections for the countries of the Baltic Sea Region and Central and Eastern Europe. To the Port of Gdańsk those state together represent the market of 180 million potential clients. In anticipation of the clients’ expectations the Port of Gdańsk Authority [PGA]prepares to increase the port’shandling volume by matching its service structure to the growing cargo supply and creating new reloading bases. The graph below visualises the projected cargo-handling volumes at the Port of Gdańsk up to the year 2030.

Projected cargo-handling at the Port of Gdańskby 2030.

Source: Own study by the Projections and Strategy Section, Port of Gdańsk Authority S.A.

The CentralPort construction project will most certainly be the largest developmental investment at the Port of Gdańsk since the NorthernPort project. The recently developed innovative and bold concept envisagesgaining about 600 haof new port areas by creating new land from the sea stretch between the mouth of the Port Canal and the existing Fuel Base and building inner basins there. The thus obtainedestatewill be developed into terminals dedicated to: general cargo (handling capacity planned at 4 M t/year), passenger traffic(capacity of 2 M/ year), and container freight (3 M TEU/year). The planned investment, one of the largest on the Baltic Sea and beyond, will create the possibilities to turn Gdańsk into a modern and fully universal port satisfying the demands of its clients.

For the CentralPortto function efficiently it is necessary to expand and modernisethe existing road and rail infrastructure both inside and in the immediate vicinities of the Port.

In view of the oncoming European Football Championship 2012 it is further planned to construct a ferry terminalto occupy the area of 37 ha (4 berths)in the immediate neighbourhood of the deepsea container terminal.

With the new terminals servicing passenger traffic and ro-ro vessels in place, the Port will achieve conditions favouring common use the intermodal transport technology promoted in the recommendations of the European Union – ‘road to sea’.

In connection with the development of the CentralPort on the refulated land PGA will aim at changing the function of the InnerPort. Itsleft bank is an ideal location for urban development, e.g. residential and leisure functions. About 120 ha of the land now used by the Port will be gradually handed over to the City which will thus gain the opportunity of returning to the seashore. The present value of the land, excluding the infrastructure, is estimated at ca. PLN 135 million (the perpetual usufruct title value).

The developmental plans also envisagedredging the Martwa Wisłaso as to bring inland navigation back to its due position and construct a complex of marinas with the necessary back-up facilities. The White Paper ‘European Transport Policy for 2010’identifies inland waterway transport as a mode which is environmentally advantageous, hence calling for particular care and support.

  1. Turning the port into the largest container hub on the Baltic Sea

The location of the Port at the foot of the Trans-European Transport Corridor VI from Gdańsk via Vienna to Southern Europe predestines it to become the largest container-reloading hub on the Baltic Sea. Therefore, it is the ambition of PGA to turn the Port of Gdańsk into a container base capable of handling up to 5 M TEU p.a.

To achieve the goal it is planned to construct a container terminal in the CentralPort,its throughput capacity reaching3.0 M TEU p.a. The construction project of the deepsea container terminal (DCT), now nearing completion, is the largest investment in port infrastructure in Poland and the Baltic Sea Region. On its launching, the DCT container terminal will have the reloading capacity of approximately 500 thousand TEU p.a. and occupy the area of 40,162 ha. Ultimately, after expansion, its capacity may increase reaching as much as 2 M TEU p.a. and the area it occupies with grow by an extra 80 ha. All container terminals in that section of the port will be able to take in vessels with the draught of up to 15 m. Further development of the GCT terminal is also desirable.

In order for the container hub to operate efficiently, it is absolutely necessary to develop the Distribution and Logistics Centre. In this matter, the Municipality of Gdańsk and the GdańskPort Authority signed an agreement of understanding on 6 July 2007. The Centre is to be located on land adjacent on the Sucharski Route, in the immediate vicinity of the DCT Terminal. The Distribution and Logistics Centre should play the role of an intermodal node providing comprehensive logistic services to the terminals within the Port.

  1. Securing energy availability country-wide

The Portof Gdańsk intends to embark on actions aimed at diversifying the energy resource supplies and improving the country’s safeguards against instability of the international fuel market. The plans envisage increasing the handling capacity of the NorthernPort by:

  • expanding the Fuel Base(2 new cargo-handling berths to increase the reloading capacity by 22 M t p.a.);
  • constructing abulk liquid cargo terminal(on an area of c.a. 30 haso as to achieve the cargo handling capacity of 1 M t p.a.);
  • transforming the existing Coal Terminal into a bulk terminalto complement export reloading services with import cargo handling (at the guaranteed rate for coal of 50 TH t per day) and service other bulk cargo such as e.g. aggregates;
  • constructing an LNG terminal (with the throughput capacity of 5 BN N m3/year).

The Port of Gdańsk Authority has elaborated the concept of building an LNG reloading terminal within the NorthernPort. It will be developed in the form of a conventional base located on the mainland or land reclaimed from the sea by refulation, or – alternatively – in the form of an innovative off-shore reloading terminal with the regasification process taking place on the ship. The growing national demand for gas makes the project of constructing the LNG terminal invariablyvalid.

The advancing development of the Port of Gdańsk calls for prompt acquisition of new land, hence moving its administrative borders. The Port will develop into the areas west of the PortCanal and onwards towards the Vistula Cross-Cut [Przekop Wisły], as well as along the southern bank of the Dead Vistula [Martwa Wisła] now at disposal of the communities of Pruszcz Gdański and Cedry Wielkie. The main thrust of the Port’s expansion is, however, directed to the sea. This will enable transformation of the old part of the InnerPort and – in the longer run – its steady transfer onto the City of Gdańsk to be redeveloped into urban quarters.

In its developmental actions the Port of Gdańsk is not indifferent to the issues relating to protection of the natural environment. Intended to be located on refulated land, the CentralPort will find itself in the special protected area of bird conservation, included in the European ‘Natura 2000’Network. Therefore, appropriate solutions are envisaged to prevent any negative impact thereon. All planned investments will be pursued in compliance with the binding procedures which include assessment of their environmental impact.

The financing from the structural funds, obtained for the development of the road and rail infrastructure under the OPIE programme create favourable conditions for the development of the Port of Gdańsk, particularly the construction of the CentralPort. The steps taken by PGA open a new chapter in the history of the Port. Its jutting into the Bay will turn it into a fully universal facility capable of meeting the growing market demands.

1

Port of Gdańsk Authority SAPress conference 10.10.2007