Daniel Betke, President of the Management Board of Naftoport, reflects in an interview with Gospodarka Morska on 2025 – a year marked by key decisions, particularly in the area of capital investment.

Mateusz Kowalewski: Naftoport has completed another highly intensive year, once again closing with record throughput volumes. At the same time, the company bears enormous responsibility for ensuring the continuity of crude oil supplies to Poland. Could you provide a brief summary – both in terms of volumes and operational organisation, as well as team commitment?

Daniel Betke: We have concluded another year in which Naftoport remained Poland’s sole maritime gateway for crude oil imports. We also support the national fuel logistics system by handling petroleum product transhipments. Once again, we maintained annual throughput at approximately 38 million tonnes.

It is worth recalling that Naftoport’s maximum operational capacity stands at around 40 million tonnes per annum. This means that for an extended period we have been operating at very high utilisation rates. Such performance requires rigorous operational discipline and meticulous asset management, particularly given the long-term, intensive use of certain elements of our technical infrastructure.

The day-to-day work of our maintenance, technical and operations teams extends beyond routine cargo handling. It also includes continuous inspections, servicing and overhaul works. These activities are frequently carried out within very short turnaround windows between successive tanker calls. We operate under a regime of heightened responsibility, yet for another consecutive year we have demonstrated our ability to ensure uninterrupted supply.

The year 2025 also brought significant investment decisions.

That is correct. The key milestone was the execution of a contract with the EPC contractor for the construction of a new loading and unloading berth. The facility’s target operational capacity will amount to approximately 9 million tonnes per annum. This will increase total terminal handling potential to around 50 million tonnes annually.

It should be emphasised, however, that this does not imply an automatic increase in throughput to that level. The investment is primarily security-driven in nature. It serves as a form of strategic insurance policy, enhancing system resilience and safeguarding continuity of supply. From our perspective, this is a necessary investment focused on strengthening operational stability, flexibility and energy security, rather than pursuing volume growth as an objective in itself.

Technical infrastructure inevitably deteriorates over time and requires periodic shutdowns for major refurbishment or modernisation works. The new berth will enable us to conduct such projects in a structured and controlled manner, without risking supply disruptions. In addition, it materially enhances the resilience of the entire system to potential failures or unforeseen events.

How did 2025 perform in concrete terms?

Compared with the record year of 2024, in 2025 we recorded an increase in crude oil throughput of approximately 800,000 tonnes. The crude was primarily destined for refineries in Poland and Germany. At the same time, we noted a slight decline in petroleum product handling volumes. Overall, total throughput was marginally lower than in 2024.

Naftoport does not serve Polish refineries exclusively.

That is correct. Through the pipeline system operated by PERN, we also secure crude oil supplies to the refineries in Leuna and Schwedt in Germany. This represents a combined volume of approximately 12 million tonnes per annum – around 8–9 million tonnes for Leuna and approximately 4 million tonnes for Schwedt.

The Schwedt refinery has an alternative supply route via the port of Rostock, although this covers only about 60% of its demand. In practice, the Leuna refinery relies almost entirely on pipeline supplies routed through Poland.

What is the scale in terms of vessel calls?

In 2025, we handled approximately 460 vessels, compared with nearly 490 the previous year. With comparable throughput volumes, this indicates that progressively larger tankers are calling at Naftoport. This reflects both shipowners’ commercial optimisation strategies and the fact that we are capable of accommodating the largest vessels able to enter the Baltic Sea.

The largest single cargo parcels reached approximately 170,000 tonnes, with a typical range of 110,000–130,000 tonnes. The new berth will be designed to handle VLCC-class tankers, with a maximum draught of up to 15 metres and an overall length exceeding 300 metres. At present, only one berth offers such capability.

What are the current crude supply origins?

For approximately the past three years, supply directions have remained stable. The dominant sources are Saudi Arabia, Norway and United States. There are also niche cargoes from origins such as Guyana and Nigeria, although these are of marginal significance. There are no supplies originating from Russia or Iran.

How do you assess the Polish oil logistics system – terminals, storage facilities, pipelines and PERN’s investment programme?

In its current configuration, the pipeline network fully secures the requirements of Polish refineries, while also enabling the fulfilment of transit supply contracts for Germany. PERN, indirectly as our majority shareholder, continues to invest in our terminal. The company has expanded its storage capacity at the Port of Gdańsk, developed the fuel storage terminal in Dębogórze, and is currently executing a project to modernise a dedicated fuel handling berth at the Port of Gdynia, intended exclusively for petroleum products rather than crude oil.

PERN’s strategic focus includes the construction of additional storage capacity, the implementation of modern pipeline crossings using HDD (Horizontal Directional Drilling) technology, and the upgrading of both the transmission network and associated rail infrastructure. This year, PERN plans to launch eight tender procedures for the construction of new storage tanks, with a combined investment value in the coming years of approximately PLN 500 million.

With regard to strategic reserves, Poland remains fully compliant with its statutory stockholding obligations. Ongoing work on restructuring the reserve portfolio – increasing the share of finished products at the expense of crude oil – is driven by the need to enhance responsiveness in crisis scenarios.

The protection of critical infrastructure is now a key issue.

For many years, Naftoport has treated security as an absolute priority. The events following 2022 have only reinforced these measures. As a critical infrastructure operator, we are responsible for the protection of the facility across all domains – landside, maritime, subsea and airspace.

We regularly conduct joint exercises with the Polish Navy, the Polish Border Guard, the Polish Police and other services, simulating a range of threat scenarios. The objective is the continuous refinement of procedures and the identification of areas requiring further reinforcement.

And what are the prospects for the crude oil market and for Naftoport itself? Are you concerned about the transition away from fossil fuels?

The pressure for a rapid phase-out of hydrocarbons has clearly eased in recent years. This reflects both geopolitical developments and prevailing economic realities. Alternative technologies – including hydrogen, ammonia and synthetic fuels – remain capital-intensive and challenging to scale on a commercial basis.

That being said, this does not mean a lack of forward planning. The new loading and unloading berth is being designed with future adaptability in mind, enabling the potential handling of alternative energy carriers such as methanol and ammonia, or even infrastructure related to CO₂ export installations.

We do not anticipate any significant decline in crude oil throughput over the coming years. Crude oil is not used solely for transport fuels; it is also fundamental to the chemical and petrochemical industries, pharmaceuticals, bitumen production and materials used even within the renewable energy sector. Its role in the global economy will therefore remain substantial.

In closing – what would you wish for Naftoport in the years ahead?

Above all, minimal technical failures and unforeseen incidents, as well as stability – both operational and geopolitical. The year 2026 is shaping up to be just as demanding as the previous one, but we are well prepared.

Thank you for the interview.