Record of transhipments - sea ports summed up 2021

With a press conference attended by the deputy ministers of infrastructure, Marek Gróbarczyk and Grzegorz Witkowski, the managements of the seaports of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Szczecin-Świnoujście summed up the transhipment results for 2021.

113 million tons

In the entire last year, the ports of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Szczecin-Świnoujście handled over 113 million tons of cargo, i.e. by 9%. more than in 2020. Since 2008, transshipments in Polish ports have increased by 116%. In turn, from 2015 to 2021, this increase was 46%. The sum of investments currently carried out in the largest ports amounts to approx. PLN 7 billion.

- These over 113 million tonnes of transhipped goods clearly show how good condition the Polish ports are, but on the other hand, it shows how well we were able to deal with the effects of the pandemic, which is still ongoing and many countries are feeling it. Many economies are regressing on this occasion. When it comes to the economics of port development, export-import, and above all, the opening of goods transport, today we can boast 9 percent. an increase compared to the previous year. 113 million tonnes clearly places us at a very high level in terms of transshipment in ports. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all port authorities. This result is mainly due to good management, but this good management would not be possible if it were not for the port operators. We would also like to thank all the operators very much. This result was generated by their companies. - said Deputy Minister Marek Gróbarczyk. - There will be further increases in the near future, we cannot stop at this result, we are striving for more and more transshipments. - added.

In turn, Deputy Minister Grzegorz Witkowski, joining the thanks for the generated result addressed to port managements and transshipment companies, noted that every zloty invested in the maritime economy, ports, shipyards, quays and port and access infrastructure returns 100 times. These results are the best example of this.

33.2 million tonnes in 2021 is to match the best result from 2018

In the ports of Szczecin-Świnoujście, in 2021 reloading companies handled 33.2 million tons of cargo, thus achieving the record result from 2018. Comparing the y / y data, the result generated in 2021 is 6.6 percent. better than 2020. The largest share in the turnover was constituted by general cargo handling: 55 percent. Excellent results of the ferry groupage, an increase of 10.6 percent. y / y Over the decade (2011-2021), the Ferry Terminal in Świnoujście increased transshipments by 139%. In the overall structure of transshipments of the entire port complex, as much as 45 percent. turnover is carried out by the ferry terminal. In 2021, the TPŚ recorded 3,261 ferry calls.

Ore and coal transshipments also recorded a double-digit increase, up by 12.2 and 11.8 percent, respectively. y / y In 2021, 6,756 ships with a total GT of 108,245,600 called at the ports of Szczecin-Świnoujście, i.e. 2.4% more. against 2020.

- We are extremely satisfied that despite the difficult working conditions that we have every day in all Polish ports, and not only Polish, because all over the world, we have managed to achieve such an impressive result. I would like to thank all the operators who work in the port, the more so because they work in the company of major investments in progress. These are happening in the living organism in the port, during the ongoing reloading, during the handling of ships.

I would like to bow my head to respect these operators, I will emphasize it at every such meeting and on every occasion, without them, without their commitment, skills and professionalism, we would not be able to present such results. - emphasized the president of ZMPSiŚ S.A. Krzysztof Urbaś.

Apart from coal, ore and general cargo, the year 2021 was positive: wood (+ 14.3%), general cargo (+8.7%), fuels (+6.2%). YoY is slightly negative: other bulk, grains and containers.

- The third decade of the 21st century will belong to the Szczecin-Świnoujście port complex, because in 2-3 years' time we will see a very dynamic and qualitative leap in terms of the volume of transshipments. At present, these have been systematically increasing for the past 3 years in various transshipment groups. - added President Urbaś.

2021 - the year of continuation of the investment

Investments are necessary for ports to develop. Today, the ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście are large construction sites. The value of the pending investment package is PLN 1.5 billion.

The port of Szczecin is being adapted to the conditions that will open up in front of it after the Świnoujście-Szczecin fairway is deepened to a technical depth of 12.5 m. Thus, work is underway in the area of the Dębicki Canal and the Kashubian Basin, where the two largest operators operate: DB-Port Szczecin and Bulk Cargo Port Szczecin. After completion of the works, we will be able to service ships with a draft of 11 meters in Szczecin with a load of up to 50,000 on board. tone.

Two large investments are underway in Świnoujście: expansion of the LNG terminal and adaptation of the ferry terminal to handle intermodal transport. The construction of a new parking lot for 278 trucks at the ferry terminal has just been completed.

Another very important step in the development of our port complex is the location of a container terminal in Świnoujście. The planned annual transshipment capacity of the terminal is 2 million TEU. It is an investment that will provide a development impulse not only for Western Pomerania, but for the entire national economy. Currently, ZMPSiŚ S.A. is undergoing a procedure, the culmination of which will be the selection of an investor who will build the terminal and be its operator. There are three interested. If everything goes according to plan, we should meet the investor in 2022. - At the moment, a very intensive dialogue is being conducted with the three entities. Last week there were three meetings, this week there will be more tomorrow. All this proves that interest is not only the idea itself, but also the issue that all three entities will intensively strive for one of them to be chosen as our partner. - said K. Urbaś.

The port infrastructure is being modernized in both ports. The access infrastructure to ports, including the S3 road and railway routes, is systematically improving.

After the completion of the investment, the competitiveness of the Szczecin-Świnoujście ports will increase significantly compared to other Baltic ports. (Monika Woźniak-Lewandowska, January 17, 2022)