Sea heralds of summer 2012 in Gdansk

23.05.2012

Despite the vast variety of world-class tourist attractions offered by Gdansk and Gdansk Pomerania, promoting this region proves to be a difficult task to accomplish for the port services. Giving in to the force of tradition and ordinary habits of sea tour operators and ship agents, the frequency of calls at the Polish ports is not proportional to the efforts undertaken by the municipal services, although it is common knowledge that the growth of sea tourism in Poland requires close cooperation between port authorities and local governments coupled with the support of regional authorities.

Last year, the port of Szczecin-Swinoujscie played host to as few as three sea-going cruise ships. Poland's West-Pomeranian gateway to the world, it is also suited to accommodate inland navigation vessels. The ports of Gdynia and Gdansk can only feel envious of as many as 89 calls of river ships which brought to Szczecin almost 10 thousand tourists. During the 2012 summer season, the port of Szczecin-Swinoujscie has already received notifications from 84 river ships and six sea-going vessels.

This year, Gdynia is ready for the arrival of 72 vessels. The year 2011 saw a smaller number of calls - only 56, which brought more than 78 thousand of cruise passengers. Tour operators and agencies however consider this port in connection with the Port of Gdansk since the majority of tourists stepping ashore in Gdynia are then carried straight from the dock to the Old Town of Gdansk and continue to Malbork or Warsaw.

This season, Gdansk has confirmed only 29 calls of sea-going cruise ships. The larger vessels will dock at the Westerplatte Quay, while the remaining ones will take berth in the Wladyslawa Basin.

The 2012 tourist season in Gdansk was launched on 22 May with the arrival of the 205 metre long "Albatros" sailing from Klaipeda to Bremerhaven. Her agent - Maritime Agency Gdynia Ltd - has felt at home in the Gdansk port for years. Similarly often Gdansk plays host to cruise ships notified by companies, such as "MARBALCO", "BALTIC GATEWAY", "POLSTEAM" and "ISS POLAND" or "BSA". It has become a tradition that the "Albatros" operated under the flag of the Bahamas - a faithful friend of Gdansk - inaugurates the tourist season at the Gdansk port.

However, in the past, the rule "more frequently means cheaper" used to attract more cruiseliners to the Port of Gdansk. The record season of 2009 - a short one lasting only 4 months due to our geographical latitude - saw 40 cruise ships call at Gdansk bringing nearly 17 thousand tourists. At that time, the "Deepwater Container Terminal Gdansk" afforded berth for the 286 metre long "Arcadia" as a gesture of mutual understanding between the port operators. Launched in 1997 at the shipyard in Belfast, the 247 metre long vessel - worth 14 million pounds sterling at that time and providing her passengers with comfort exceeding the international hotel star rating system - required safe and secure berthing in Gdansk. "DCT" developed in the outer part of the Port of Gdansk guaranteed adequate parameters at same time sending a signal that the Gdansk port protruding into the Gulf of Gdansk can accommodate all vessels that can pass through the Danish straits.

The decades of the "iron curtain" obstructing the access to the Polish ports prevented the visits of luxurious cruise ships, such as "Arcadia", "Costa Pacifica", "Grand Princess", "Vision of the Seas", "Seven Seas Voyager" and "Thomson Celebration". Poland's accession to the Schengen Treaty in 2007 made it easier for the world famous cruise ships to visit our country. To the Port of Gdansk, however, this date did not mean an easy way of entering the world network of sea tourism. Gdynia, renowned for the pre-war "emigration" voyages of m/s "Batory", remains to be featured in the tourist brochures as the most important Polish port in the southern region of the Baltic Sea. And may Gdynia remain its position in the brochures, but at the same time, may these brochures finally present the advantages of passenger ships calling at the Gdansk port. Both seaports of the Tricity area offer similar parameters of accommodating passenger ships and ferries. Both of them cooperate providing services to the maritime tourist traffic on the Baltic, thus contributing to the growth of the Gdansk Pomerania region.

PGA SA PR Officer