Dr. Capt. Andrzej Królikowski - Director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia
How to deal with capacity pressures which will potentially occur in the BSR by 2030? How far will the cluster of Russian ports in the Gulf of Finland shift their operational focus from bulk to containerized cargo?
First of all, we should take notice that road and rail transportation are sometimes ineffective, and for this reason seaborne traffic will be on the rise within the BSR, at least on the north-south axis. Secondly, we should pay more attention to Russian ports in the Baltic. Not taking into consideration Primorsk, which is the largest port in the BSR in terms of annual capacity, as it solely handles liquid fuels; we have Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg (currently the biggest universal port within the Baltic) and Ust-Luga, of which the last one intends to become the largest and most modern port in the whole region (in 2015 the finishing touches are scheduled to be completed). Ust-Luga is the end point of Baltic Pipeline System-2, which will be a major contributor to the export of Russia’s gas to the EU. As of now the port has seven terminals for various purposes – a sulphur terminal, a universal cargo terminal, a coal terminal, Multipurpose Terminal Yug-2, an auto railway ferry complex, a factor forestry terminal and the newest one – Ust-Luga Container Terminal. The port aims to reach a capacity of 180 mln tn in 2020. The port is situated on the EU-Russia border (36 km from Finland, 147 km from St. Petersburg) and is connected to northern Europe. In contrast to other Baltic Russian ports, the port has a short ice season – it is operational year-round with a short period (40 days) of ice-channelling. During the first half of 2012 the port handled 18.86 mln tn (2.2 times more than in the corresponding period of 2011). Therefore, it is predicted that Ust-Luga will attract cargo from other ports in the Baltic (also from the neighbouring port in St. Petersburg). But let’s not forget about Russia’s enclave between Poland and Lithuania. In 2011 the Kaliningrad Sea Commercial Port marked the biggest increase in container handlings in the BSR (+152% year-on-year). This year the port increased its boxes traffic by 20.4% yoy from January to April. This year (over the past 6 months) the volume of cargo transhipment has grown by 21.6%. Based on such data, it’s relevant to say that Russian ports in the BSR will not only handle bulk cargo, but surely will focus more and more on containerized goods. Moreover, considering capacity pressures in Poland, we have container terminals increasing both their capacities and throughputs. But there’s no need for Poland to focus strictly on the Baltic. A “Polish” port on the Adriatic Sea (or in the Mediterranean in general) may be the answer to secure the country’s future success.
How to make inland waterway transport in the BSR more attractive for shippers?
Inland waterways are in need of upgrading their navigability – above all they must be deepened. Furthermore, the inland infrastructure requires investments – both in fleet and in small ports. There is also a necessity to combine sea and inland shipping in a multimodal network contributing to a better efficiency of cargo handlings. These are the first steps which will later enable looking forward to other positive aspects of inland waterways transport such as lower operating costs, smaller amounts of money needed to handle goods and the environmentally-friendly character of it. In this regard Poland has potential for development – the Vistula Lagoon is a natural candidate for inland waterway transport. There’s also the E-70 International Waterway, going all the way from Antwerp via Berlin, Poland to Klaipėda, as well as the E-40 which could connect the Baltic and Black Seas. These two waterways could become fully navigable someday. We can look, too, at the liquefied natural gas terminal being constructed in Świnoujście. The LNG could be transported on feeders (cabotage) to the hinterland (to small inland ports) and then further on to the mainland.
Is there a need to reinforce the role of seaports as multimodal gateways in the EU TEN-T policy to reflect their role in the BSR transport network?
In my opinion the TEN-T network has been configured correctly, but there is a need for stricter cooperation, e.g. between major Polish ports. Also, the government should support the ports more. The BSR transport network also faces another challenge: would it become embroiled in fierce competition or will it tighten its relations for the sake of the whole region? For instance we could have a Baltic cluster, where all parties would be well informed and will go hand-in-hand – I think this is the way to put the macroregional integrated transport system concept into practice. Or, we could be facing strong competition all the way along the Polish coast, Kaliningrad Oblast, Baltic states and Russia.
Should the BSR countries develop a small seaport’s agenda in transport policymaking at the EU level?
The interests of small ports should be taken into consideration within the EU transport agenda, as in many situations the development of small ports is a chance for local tourism and industries to evolve. Investments could certainly speed things up.
Is the integration of Motorways of the Sea in the TEN-T concept doubtful?
Quite the contrary. The Motorways of the Sea concept has been designed to help achieve a clean, safe and efficient transport system by the means of transforming sea shipping into a viable alternative for road transport as well as establishing multimodal corridors to which even small ports can contribute.
An article from BTJ Think Tank nb 4.