Ports of Szczecin-Świnoujście - a harmonious duo

 

 

 

They set the economic rhythm in the city and the region - the ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście. All in all, it is difficult to decide which was the first city, port, port or city. One thing is certain, the inhabitants of Szczecin and Świnoujście have been enjoying the benefits of the river and the sea for centuries.

 

 

 

It's a turbulent time

 

 

 

The history of both ports, like the history of Europe, is long and turbulent. In 1950, the ports came under Polish rule, the state-owned company Szczecin Port Authority was established together with the Port Office in Świnoujście. The beginnings are difficult, the destruction is huge. Poles face the challenge of lifting ports from the rubble. Therefore, the first years were marked by heroism and determination to rebuild the port.

 

 

 

 

New and rebuilt old reloading devices are being installed. The operation of the coal conveyor begins - then one of the most modern in Europe. The fairway connecting Świnoujście with Szczecin is deepened to the depth of 9.6 meters. Further investments related to the reconstruction and expansion of the port potential are being undertaken. The port's commercial function is restored.

 

 

 

The Port Authority of Szczecin existed until 1977. It was then that the Szczecin-Świnoujście port complex was created, which was then transformed in 1983 into the Szczecin-Świnoujście Port Authority, which operated under this name until the beginning of the 1990s.

 

 

 

Geography is conducive to development

 

 

 

Thanks to the perfect location in the heart of Europe, where the sea meets the river, the ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście, as one organism, have become a permanent element of the urban landscape and the economic zone of the city and the region. Although the two ports differ from each other, this makes them complement each other perfectly, creating one of the largest universal port complexes in the southern Baltic Sea. Świnoujście is situated by the sea. Its ferry terminal, via the "motorway of the sea", starts a transport corridor leading from Scandinavia to the south of Europe. The port also handles gas carriers and large bulk and general cargo ships with cargo on board up to 50 thousand. tone. In turn, Szczecin, located 68 km inland, facilitates the transport of goods, bringing them closer to the customers. Both ports are universal in nature and handle groupage and bulk goods. The area of ​​the ports exceeds 1600 ha. Annually, they handle over 32 million tons of cargo.

 

 

 

People of port

 

 

 

However, the port is not only about goods, it is primarily people who have tied their professional lives with it. They wrote and write the next pages of the port's history. The Port of Szczecin is the cradle of freedom uprisings December '70, August '80 and August '88. It was here that port workers were one of the first to resist the communist authorities.

 

 

 

In the Encyclopedia of Solidarity, under the banner of the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority, there were written, inter alia, “On 19-30 August 1980, a solidarity strike was conducted in the Szczecin port with the Adolf Warski Szczecin Shipyard. (...) On August 17, 1988, the longest strike in the history of Szczecin began in the port, the Strike Committee was established. " The port remembers about its heroes and the events of those years. Building the future on the foundation of the Solidarity ideals obliges us to cherish the memory of the heroic events from years ago.

 

 

 

After 1989

 

After the political transformations of 1989, the ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście began to function in a free market economy. The privatization process has started. The Port Authority has become a joint stock company of the state treasury. Reloading companies were established and departments in operating companies were sold, which finally separated the operating sphere from the management sphere. In 2001, the Port Authority purchased a ferry base in Świnoujście. An investment boom in the port began, especially after 2004, when Poland became a member of the European Union.

 

 

Investment boom

 

 

The list of infrastructure investments is long. However, they all have a common denominator, and must take into account the expectations of the market and investors. The Port Authority has become an investment leader in the region, bravely and skilfully using EU support. The ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście have changed their face. New Finnish, Transitional, Grain and German quays and a ro-ro ramp are being built in Szczecin. In Świnoujście: a dolphin wharf with a breakwater and LNG reloading platforms in the external port and a new ferry stand no. 1 with the necessary infrastructure at the Ferry Terminal.

 

 

In both ports, almost 10 km of roads and 36 km of railway tracks with turnouts were modernized. 585 new parking spaces for trucks and cars were created.

 

 

Investments are also carried out by port enterprises. New terminals are created for handling containers, sulfuric acid, for handling ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and for handling liquid fuels and agri-food products.

 

 

 

Investment boom in ports

 

 

 

The list of infrastructure investments is long. However, they all have a common denominator, and must take into account the expectations of the market and investors. The Port Authority has become an investment leader in the region, bravely and skilfully using EU support. The ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście have changed their face. New Finnish, Transitional, Grain and German quays and a ro-ro ramp are being built in Szczecin. In Świnoujście: a dolphin wharf with a breakwater and LNG reloading platforms in the external port and a new ferry stand no. 1 with the necessary infrastructure at the Ferry Terminal.

 

 

 

In both ports, almost 10 km of roads and 36 km of railway tracks with turnouts were modernized. 585 new parking spaces for trucks and cars were created.

 

 

Investments are also carried out by port enterprises. New terminals are created for handling containers, sulfuric acid, for handling ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and for handling liquid fuels and agri-food products.

 

 

 

The investment boom in the ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście continues.

 

 

A train to excellence

 

 

The port is a multi-sector infrastructure and logistics node, therefore today's investments are focused on improving the competitiveness of the entire Szczecin-Świnoujście port complex and increasing the efficiency of the managed infrastructure, as well as developing additional areas for port purposes. Some investments are directly related to the deepening and modernization of the Świnoujście-Szczecin fairway to a depth of 12.5 m. Hence, in Szczecin, in the investment package implemented today, the existing quays are modernized and new ones are built in the area of ​​general cargo, i.e. the Dębicki Channel and bulk cargo, i.e. Kashubian swimming pool. The quays will be prepared both to a new depth of 12.5 m and to handle larger cargo volumes. Today, Szczecin terminals handle ships with a draft of up to 9.15 meters with a load of 25-30 thousand tons. Thanks to investments carried out by the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority, and after deepening the fairway to 12.5 meters, ships with a load of 45-50 thousand tons and a draft of 11.0 meters will be able to call at the Port of Szczecin.

 

 

 

Soon, the ferry terminal in Świnoujście will also change its face. Its expansion is underway, the priority of which is intermodal transport. A new parking lot for 300 trucks will also be built next to the terminal. The Świnoujście LNG terminal is also changing. The construction of the third tank and a new quay for loading, unloading and reloading LNG as well as ship bunkering will increase the flexibility of the Świnoujście installation to approximately 8.3 billion m3 per year and will enable the launch of new services for which there is an increasing demand on the dynamically developing LNG market.

 

 

 

Certainly, the construction of a deepwater container terminal in Świnoujście will be a milestone in the development of the Świnoujście port and the region. The future terminal is to be built in the next few years and ultimately achieve an annual throughput capacity of approx. 2 million TEU (standardized 20 'containers).

 

 

 

Roads leading to the port

 

 

 

In order to develop a port and increase its competitiveness, it is necessary to think with space, therefore investments in access infrastructure are crucial for the port. A lot is happening here as well. The railway lines E-59 / CE-59 are being modernized, which will create conditions for the development of intermodal transport. It is necessary taking into account the key role of rail transport in the transport policy of the EU and Poland, new standards in the technology of transporting goods by rail and, at the same time, the increasing transshipment potential in the ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście.

 

 

 

Intensive investment activities are also underway on the S3 road. The Odra Waterway is waiting for navigation.

 

 

 

One thing is certain - the development of the port is synonymous with the development of the region. The port is money, jobs, it is the driving force of the economy. It is here and now, in front of our eyes and with our participation, the next pages of the history of this strategic company for Poland and Western Pomerania are being created.

 

 

 

The social face of the port

 

 

The economic development of the port is accompanied by its social commitment. The areas in which the Company plans to operate for the benefit of the local community every year are youth sports groups operating at schools and sports clubs, local sports clubs and associations, as well as activities for the benefit of mass culture as well as local associations and clubs.

 

 

 

ZMPSiŚ SA supports children and youth in the realization of their passions and dreams, both in terms of sports, arts and education. The company also supports young artists, carries out original educational and aid projects. He is involved in social campaigns.

 

 

 

The port authority cooperates with sports clubs and organizations, including the so-called big players, such as Pogoń Szczecin, or small neighborhood or school clubs from the capital of the voivodeship and its vicinity. Co-financing covered such disciplines as: football, sports gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, rowing, canoeing and boxing.

 

 

 

The help of ZMPSiŚ SA does not end with subsidies in sports. The company is heavily involved in culture, education and other social campaigns. The original project "Days of the port at school", implemented since 2016, is particularly valuable in terms of education. It includes a series of meetings with children and young people, during which they gain knowledge about the work of the port.

 

 

 

It is worth emphasizing that the company also helps those in need by participating in various social campaigns. We help those in need. We implemented many initiatives with the participation of our employees - "Szlachetna Paczka", "Pack for a Countryman and Hero in the Borderlands". The port team participates in the "March-o-run", the proceeds of which go to the West Pomeranian Hospice for Children and Adults.