WARSAW: The Polish Port of Gdansk recently laid out its largest development proposal in 40 years. Planning new infrastructure at its main terminals, the port aims to accommodate the growing trade volumes passing through the Baltic coast, which ranks among Europe’s fastest growing regions.
As one of the largest ports in the Baltic Sea, Poland’s southern Port of Gdansk has enjoyed a steady growth in trade volumes, despite a global downturn which the World Trade Organization attributes to a number of factors, including an economic slowdown in China, a severe recession in Brazil, falling prices of oil and other commodities, as well as exchange rate volatility.
As a major international transportation hub situated in the central region of the southern Baltic coast, it is reaping the benefits of a good geographical position in one of the fastest growing basins worldwide.
The port handles a mix of containerised cargo, citrus fruit, sulphur, phosphorites, passenger ferries and Ro-Ro vessels at its Inner Port, as well as raw materials such as liquid fuels, coal and liquefied gas in the Outer Port.
Its trade volumes have followed a strong upward trend since 2011, reaching 37 million tons last year, and as a result, the port authority has been investing in continued development works to improve connectivity and capacity at the port.
In March, the Port of Gdansk Authority (PGA) met with Poland’s minister of maritime economy and inland navigation, Marek Gróbarczyk, to reveal plans for the construction of deep water transhipment quays, a new Ro-Ro terminal and the establishment of the Central Port.
