Tenders have been announced for works related to two major investments concerning the fairways leading to ports in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The fairway to Świnoujście is to be widened along a five-kilometre stretch, while a passing lane for vessels is to be constructed on the fairway to Szczecin near Police. Tenders for both projects have already been published.

During the International Maritime Congress in Szczecin, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewkaannounced new investments concerning the fairways to Szczecin and Świnoujście. As he stated, a “maritime motorway to the ports of Western Pomerania” is to be created. The two projects – the widening of the fairway and the construction of a vessel passing lane – have already been put out to tender by the Maritime Office in Szczecin.

– Ports benefit from their geographical advantage, namely their location. The ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście do as well. However, our natural limitation is unfortunately a relatively shallow approach fairway – explained Jarosław Siergiej, President of the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority. He added that the investments announced by Arkadiusz Marchewka are intended to improve navigation conditions from the open sea to both ports. – The aim is to increase capacity along the shipping routes so that the ports can benefit from easier navigation conditions and allow more vessels to enter and leave our ports simultaneously.

The first investment concerns the design and execution of construction works related to the widening of a section of the fairway leading to the Port of Świnoujście. According to the detailed tender specifications, the works will cover the stretch from buoy N1 to buoy N2 up to the 9.8-kilometre mark of the fairway. Dredging operations will be required in order to widen the channel. The entire 24-kilometre section, with a target width of 500 metres, is to maintain a depth of 14.5 metres. The Maritime Office in Szczecin has set 22 June as the deadline for submitting bids. The contracting authority assumes that the works will be completed within no more than 16 months from the signing of the contract.

In an interview with Gospodarka Morska, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewka stated that the government has secured PLN 230 million in European funding for the investment. Ultimately, the widening of the fairway is intended to enable two-way traffic along the route. At present, for safety reasons, when an LNG carrier is entering or leaving the gas terminal in Świnoujście, traffic for other vessels is suspended.