President of the Port of Gdynia: "We still have a reserve of reloading capacity". - MarinePoland.com
President of the Port of Gdynia: "We still have a reserve of reloading capacity".
Date of publication: 02.06.2022

With Jacek Sadaj, president of the Port of Gdynia Authority, we talk about 2021 and the port's centenary, which falls in 2022, as well as completed and ongoing investments.


2021 was a very successful year for the Port of Gdynia – another transshipment record was set and an intensive investment process was underway. How do you evaluate this year?
2021 was a good year for Polish ports. Polish ports handled a total of 113,124.9 thousand tonnes of cargo, which was 8.9% higher result than in 2020 and 4.5% higher than in 2019. Very large increases were recorded especially in the handling of liquid fuels (+6.2 million tonnes, which translated into a 30.6% increase) and general cargo (+4.7 million tonnes, +9.0%). In addition, growth also occurred in timber handling (+0.2 million tonnes, +120.8%).




What influenced your transshipment performance in the previous year? What groups of goods had the greatest impact?
The total number of transshipments in the Port of Gdynia in 2021 increased by 8.2 percent, to 26,693 thousand tons. Container transshipments amounted to a record 985,919 TEUs, an increase of 8.9 percent over the previous year. The Port recorded the largest increases in the general cargo category – an increase of 14.9 percent to 16,207 thousand tons – and oil and petroleum products – up 42 percent more, totaling 2,516 thousand tons. In 2021, 4240 merchant ships called at Gdynia, which means an increase of 14.7 percent. 19 of these ships were container vessels over 300 meters long.


How have you adapted to working in pandemic conditions? Is Covid-19 still having a real impact on port and terminal performance?
The pandemic showed how important seaports are to the economy. During the pandemic, the Port of Gdynia did not have a single day of downtime, it worked around the clock 24 hours a day and fully serviced ships and their cargoes.


Do you have any specific targets set for 2022 in terms of transshipments? What volume would you like to achieve?
We are very optimistic about the transshipment forecasts for 2022. All economic forecasts point to the continuation of economic growth in Poland, which should directly translate into further increase in transshipments in the Port of Gdynia. Ongoing, planned and completed infrastructural investments are aimed at preparing the Port of Gdynia to handle increased cargo turnover. In accordance with the principle that the supply of port services should be ahead of the expected growing demand, we prepare in advance further investments.


Sanctions on Russia have become an important part of European trade in 2022. Many companies, also from the maritime industry, have resigned from cooperation with Moscow. Is there a chance that Polish ports, including Gdynia, will take over some of the cargoes, which were previously transshipped in Russian ports?
The reloading capacity of the port of Gdynia is 38 million tons. The transshipments in 2021 reached 26.7 million tons, so the current year's reserve of reloading capacity, understood as a wide offer for cargo from/to Ukraine, is at the level of more than 11 million tons.


However, a prerequisite for an effective offer for handling Ukrainian cargo is an effective land access infrastructure to Polish seaports, including in particular rail transport starting from the border points with Ukraine. Regardless of possible changes in the long run, we must be prepared as a port to handle any cargo and any vessel, which means the necessity of continuous investment in port infrastructure development.


A lot of investments were completed in the Port of Gdynia last year, some of them are still in progress. One of them is dredging of port basins – at what stage are the works in progress?
The Port of Gdynia, as an important node of the trans-European transport network, is a natural extension of the Baltic Adriatic Corridor towards Scandinavia, connecting Poland with Sweden via the Gdynia – Karlskrona seaway. The Port, together with its long-standing partners from Sweden, wishes to develop cooperation and more effectively combine the economic potential of Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe. Investment works in the Port of Gdynia continue. In March, the project entitled "Construction of port infrastructure for reception of sanitary waste from ships in the Port of Gdynia" was completed.


The big event was the completion of the public ferry terminal. Originally the ferry lines declared readiness to sail to Gdynia from the beginning of the year, but otherwise we know that they are preparing for the summer. Why this change? What is happening at the terminal at the moment?
In September last year, the construction process of the terminal, resulting from the project co-financed from the structural funds of the European Union, was completed and the closing conference – "Completion of the investment project under the name Construction of Public Ferry Terminal in the Port of Gdynia" – was held as required. The ceremony was not about the opening of the terminal, but about the completion of the project and the end of construction. Such closing conferences are an inseparable element of conducting the investments co-financed from the European Union budget.


Currently Stena Line is conducting preparatory works on the terminal. As part of the ongoing work, further test approaches of the vessels have just been completed along with the use of infrastructure. All works including additional terminal equipment, in accordance with the shipowners' requirements, have been planned and are being carried out in such a way as to enable the timely reception of some of the largest ferries on the Baltic Sea in regular shipping. The planned date of commissioning of the Public Ferry Terminal for passenger traffic for Stena Line is June 2022.


There has also been a lot of activity on the topic of land access to the port – both rail and road. How do these routes look at the moment and how will they change in the coming months?
The Port of Gdynia, as a node of the TEN-T core network and the entry point of the Baltic – Adriatic corridor, offers comprehensive intermodal services in port terminals of unitized cargo. Container transshipments in the Port of Gdynia are constantly increasing (in 2021 they reached the level of almost one million TEUs), therefore intermodal transport, being highly specialized, must be based on proper infrastructure. In Gdynia, investments are being implemented and prepared to improve the capacity of the railroad system, i.e. the last mile, which will contribute to the increase in demand for rail transport, especially container transport. Currently, PKP PLK is extending the Gdynia Port station, which will be fully electrified, and Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. and the Maritime Office in Gdynia are preparing the Port of Gdynia to service container ships with Baltmax parameters (up to 400 m in length and over 20,000 TEU of load capacity). The entire railroad infrastructure and subgrade were verified in terms of strength, increasing the load from 20 tons/axle to 22.5 tons/axle. The tracks in the areas of basins III, IV and V, as well as in the container area, were also rebuilt in order to achieve the allowable pressures of 22.5 tonnes/axle. The electrification of the access infrastructure to the container area (Helskie Quay) has also been completed, along with the automation of traffic through train traffic control systems.


The most important development project of Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. is the External Port. The Authority anticipates that the construction of a new deepwater container terminal in Gdynia will significantly increase the handling of containers compared to the current situation. In the External Port an intermodal terminal will be located, equipped with 8 full-loading tracks.


The Port of Gdynia has connections with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. It should be noted that the cargo potential of the Polish transit facilities is concentrated in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), i.e. the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Belarus, Ukraine and Romania. Intermodal operators and rail carriers launch connections between ports and inland terminals, which form the Baltic – Adriatic transport corridors. The Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. implements the project entitled "Integration of the port with the hinterland, with particular emphasis on intermodal terminals". The project is included in the Baltic – Adriatic Corridor Work Plan; the subject of the contract is to commission "Analysis of possible locations for open-access rail service infrastructure, i.e. rail intermodal terminals, also with the possibility of performing the function of external port gates for the Port of Gdynia. The analytical and conceptual phase is carried out, among others, under the contract signed by Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. with PKP S.A., PKP PLK S.A. and PKP Cargo.


New intermodal connections integrating the region's economies are possible thanks to the modernisation of railroad lines. The line no. 201 is part of the international railroad line C-65 – the main freight route directly connecting the Port of Gdynia with Silesia. Since 2012, it has been part of the Polish part of the EU Rail Freight Corridor No. 5, and as an access to the port it is recognised by the European Commission as important for the Baltic Sea – Adriatic Sea Corridor. It is as important for the national economy as it is for the safety and organization of rail transport in Tricity. With the current volume of passenger and freight traffic in the Tricity node, the modernization of railroad line No. 201 will ensure basic access to the Port of Gdynia.


There was also an idea to create a hydrogen hub in the Port of Gdynia. This kind of investments will be more and more desired because more and more vessels will need alternative fuels. What exactly is the idea of the hydrogen hub and when can we expect the first hydrogen installations?
The main goals of the Polish Energy Policy until 2040 (PEP2040) include guaranteeing energy security of the country while ensuring competitiveness of the economy, energy efficiency and reducing the impact of the energy sector on the environment, and one of its pillars is a zero-emission fuel and energy system. It is important to note that key elements of PEP2040 include the development of energy technologies, including hydrogen technologies. Therefore, we monitor the development of the fuel and energy industry and take appropriate actions to seek solutions to reduce emissions from means of transport, handling equipment and cargo handling equipment both within the Port of Gdynia and in the port region. We are successively implementing projects related to fuel and energy transformation, which concern, among others: alternative fuels, renewable energy sources, electromobility and broadly understood digitalization of investment processes and real estate management.


In 2020 a working group was established consisting of representatives of various entities interested in participating in the development of hydrogen economy on the Polish coast (including local government and representatives of various companies), whose members meet regularly, exchange views, initiatives, inform each other about issues important to the development of hydrogen economy.


In 2021 Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. became a member of the association Hydrogen Technologies Cluster. The aim of the cluster is to create a platform for cooperation between entities interested in the implementation of hydrogen technologies, development of research and promotion of solutions for hydrogen technologies. Within the association, project proposals are currently being developed and consortia specializing in the development of hydrogen technologies are being created.


In 2021 in Warsaw we signed a sectoral agreement for the development of hydrogen economy in Poland. The agreement aims to integrate entities from different sectors, which will create a network of links to develop the value chain of the hydrogen economy, as well as to build a competitive advantage of Polish companies and create many modern jobs.


In 2022, a representative of the Port of Gdynia Authority SA became a member of the Coordinating Council for the Maritime Economy at the Ministry of Climate and Environment.


ZMPG SA participates in the implementation of various international projects, including the Green Corridor, which aims to explore the possibility of using alternative fuels in shipping, including zero-emission solutions. In this project, apart from Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. representing the entities forming the port services supply center in Gdynia, the seaports of Rotterdam, Hamburg, Roenne and Tallinn participate. Currently, the initial phase in stage one is being carried out, consisting of the preparation of assumptions for the concept and feasibility study of the project regarding the development of alternative fuels.


We are acting as a link between the demand and supply side of the hydrogen fuel market with the aim of creating a so-called local hydrogen hub. This initiative will enable the production, distribution and use of green hydrogen, a zero-emission fuel. Already today, both seaport authorities in various countries and transshipment terminal operators are developing fuel and energy strategies related to the pursuit of zero-emission, including the use of green hydrogen, so it seems that the role of hydrogen as a fuel will increase (already today it is called the fuel of the future by specialists).


The year 2022 is extremely important for the Port of Gdynia – this year the port celebrates its 100th anniversary. What can we expect on this occasion?
The year 2022 is very important for the Port of Gdynia, but also for the entire maritime economy. On September 23, 1922 the Seym of the Republic of Poland passed the act on the construction of the port in Gdynia – and this date is considered its formal beginning, while in the Port of Gdynia we celebrate the anniversary all year round.


We started the jubilee year by cooperating with a young artist from Gdynia, Jan Rutka, who prepared a unique poster depicting the fascinating story of 100 years of the Port of Gdynia. We want the works prepared for the Gdynia Port Centennial to reach a wider audience, and we intend to auction one of them for the benefit of the children's hospice Bursztynowa Przystań.


In the Museum of the City of Gdynia you can admire the unique birthday exhibition "Morze/Miasto/Port" („Sea/City/Port”), showing the image of Gdynia's port in art, 100 works for the 100th anniversary of the port. The artists, fascinated with the element and grandeur of the great construction site, captured especially the first decades of the Gdynia investment, but the exhibition will also include contemporary representations.


On May 2nd, we also officially started the sailing season, which marks the beginning of all water sports competitions, but not only. In June, the Port of Gdynia, as the port of sailing ships, is the main partner of the VIth Sailing Day Parade during the Gdynia Maritime Days, as well as the only ONE Terminal Run Gdynia Hutchison Ports.


It has become a tradition that the Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. on its birthday prepares a gift with the local community in mind, hence the residents of Gdynia are in for a lot of attractions in September.


This year, from the New Public Ferry Terminal will depart the largest ferries on the Baltic Sea –Stena Line' E-flexer class with a length of 240 m. 100 years of the existence of the Port of Gdynia is a time of constant changes and improvement of the infrastructure that is to serve the Polish maritime economy and future generations.

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