Port of Gdansk posts good three quarters' performance

30.10.2009

Contrary to the fears voiced by shipping experts and despite the global economic downturn, the volumes of cargo throughput at the Gdansk port over the three quarters of 2009 show overall positive results. This is mainly attributed to the Port's biggest cargo operator - Port of Gdansk Cargo Logistics (PGCL) and DCT Gdansk. Compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, PGCL has reported a 6.3% growth in turnovers, while for DCT Gdansk the growth amounts to nearly 64%.

It is interesting to look at the analysis of fluctuations in the structure of cargo processed by PGCL. The coal and coke throughput went up by 110.3% and the volumes of grain and fodder grew by more than a half (57.2%). However, the share of general cargo fell by 16 percentage points year on year and amounted to 34.4% of PGCL's total turnover. The number of vehicles handled fell by as much as 133 thousand cars (a 27.5% drop year on year). There was a 38% decrease in the turnover of steel products. The economic slowdown also affected the Gdansk Container Terminal, where PGCL handled 9.8% TEU's less than a year before.

The overall positive turnout came as a result of the cargo structure transformation in shipping. We must bear in mind that PGCL operates on quays in the so-called "inner port", where the length and the draught of docking vessels is limited. In the deepwater "outer" part of the Gdansk port, at the piers of the Northern Port and DCT Gdansk SA, sea-going vessels can be accommodated, which ensures the economic operational profitability that is especially valued at a time when cost-cutting solutions are of utmost importance. However, resulted from a decline in transit of Russian oil, the share of the "inner port" in the Gdansk port's total throughput exceeded 38.5%, thus confirming the need of keeping the "old port's" quays in good condition.

On the one hand, the coal turnover for the entire Gdansk port grew threefold (from ca. 670 thou. tonnes over the nine months in 2008 to nearly 2.2 million tonnes in the three quarters of this year). In a country that acquires 98% of power from coal firing, it is a natural outlook that the throughput of this raw material is set to rise. The investment that is currently underway at the Northern Port as a result of its shares being purchased by the Belgian company Sea-Invest will open up to the Gdansk port new opportunities in terms of cargo handling and also a whole new perspective.

On the other hand - the Deepwater Container Terminal, which was launched a year ago, has handled more cargo than during the entire last year (slightly over 106 thou. TEU's in 2008 vs. nearly 118 thou. TEU's over the nine months of this year). Since October this year, DCT has gained another regular shipping service from one of Europe's biggest operators - the Danish shipowner Unifeeder. The line Baltiysk-Gdansk is set to fill in the demand for car parts supplies for the Russian market. The Deepwater Container Terminal Gdansk has acquired all the attributes of a Baltic container "hub" handling regular liner services operated by Containerships, Maersk Line, Team Lines or IMCL/BCL. Since it has won the acceptance of the world's major container operators who appreciate a year-round ice-free port facility and secure handling of sea-going vessels, DCT has opened up to the Gdansk port the perspective of becoming a leading state-of-the-art port in the South Baltic Region. The announcement by Maersk Line to launch from December this year a regular transcontinental liner service from Shanghai to Gdansk represents a breakthrough in the Port of Gdansk operation in terms of cargo exchange in the Baltic Sea Basin. Additionally, there will be a significant rise in the current share index of Gdansk in Poland's marine cargo exchange (34%).

The cautious outlooks burdened with the political decisions on fuel supplies for Europe and the financial crunch that has affected the global economy over the successive months of 2009 seem to have failed to account for "the rule of the thumb" in a free market economy: finances, like nature, cannot tolerate a vacuum... The Gdansk port, which had its beginnings over a thousand years ago, in each consecutive year of its operation consolidates its position as a key transport node for all free-market economies in the Baltic Region. The so-called "geographical profitability" determines the cutting-edge factors that give Gdansk the upper hand over its competitors. Statistical fluctuations of cargo turnover continue to oscillate around an upward-rising trend. The natural hydronavigational and geographical conditions coupled by the provided operational capacity ensure that Gdansk has the priority that will enable it overcome even the barriers of the contemporary politics.