New, technologically advanced incinerating plant at the Port of Gdansk

10.04.2003

On April 9, 2003 at the Port of Gdansk on the premises of Port Service company the opening celebration of a new state-of-the-art incinerating plant designed for hazardous waste was held. High importance of the event for the city and the entire region was emphasized by the arrival of special guests who attended the celebration, i.a. Jan Kozlowski - President of the Pomeranian Region, Pawel Adamowicz - City Mayor of Gdansk and Bogdan Orzeszek - Chair of the City Council of Gdansk. Present at the event was a famous athlete and the world champion - Dariusz Michalczewski introduced by the President of the Board of Directors of Port Service Kazimierz Kuhn as a financial business partner of Blum group. It was Dariusz Michalczewski himself who officially set the facility in motion.

Port Service company has been inseparably associated with the Port of Gdansk. Since their provision in the Northern Port, distinctive oval containers owned by the company have become permanent landmarks in the port landscape. Recently, this landscape has been additionally enhanced by another facility situated on the premises of Port Service and surmounted with an inconspicuous chimney of a small-sized cross-section. This detail is characteristic of the new investment project accomplished at the Port of Gdansk, as it represents the advanced technologies applied in designing this state-of-the-art incineration plant suited for hazardous waste.

The turning point in terms of Port Service operation took place in 1994. Once the legal status of the land that belonged to the Northern Port was established and a tenancy contract entered Port Service was able to extend its range of services and to introduce changes in the ownership structure of the company by means of capital provision supplied by a foreign investor. In 1996, 51% of shares were taken over by a German company of Blum Beteiligungs GmbH/Melle, whereas presently Blum owns as much as 83,47% of shares. Significant financial assets invested in the company enabled the purchase of modern equipment, the implementation of advanced technologies (i.a. in the capacity of washing tanks that contain oil products, cleansing water supply and sewage pipelines and TV monitoring). Successful implementation of the process allowed Port Service to develop its activity not only based on maritime business, but also that involving overland services.

In 2000, the work commenced aimed at upgrading thermal hazardous waste processing plant. As a result of the investment of PLN 34.5 million Poland's first modern hazardous waste incinerating plant was constructed. Although there is a number of incinerating plants already operating in Poland, the one developed at the Port of Gdansk is the first to have been designed in compliance with the European standards.

The incinerator consists of two main technological nodes: thermal processing (including a rotary furnace, after-burning chamber, air supply system and after-burning residue collecting system), as well as cooling and exhaust cleansing systems. During the thermal waste processing, due to high temperatures, a long time of waste being kept in the burning zone and a controlled amount of air all toxic organic substances are destroyed. It is important to emphasize that the process do not affect the environment. According to Port Service, the top-quality waste processing technologies currently available in Poland guarantees reduced emissions at a level lower than stipulated in the Directive of the EU Council dated December 1994. Additionally the facility is equipped with a continuous emission monitoring system that enables on-going control of emitted substance.

Furthermore, the incinerator in designed to operate thermal neutralization of hazardous waste generated by industries such as food, papermaking, consumer goods, tanning, pharmaceutical, petroleum chemistry, shipbuilding, iron and steel, paint and varnish, ship operating, as well as services.