The European Port

29.05.2003

"Gazeta Wyborcza", May 27, 2003

Implemented for a long time now, the measures and development projects of the Port of Gdansk have fully conformed with the need to fulfil a significant role in the strategy adopted by the European Union that aims at the shaping of a coherent transportation network - says Andrzej Kasprzak, the President of the Board of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA.

While the decision whether to join the European Union is yet to be made by the Polish people, the Port of Gdansk embarked on the implementation of the accession process long ago. This not only stemmed from the historical evidence of the role of the Gdansk port in the European transport and trading system (to mention but the Amber Route), but is also a response to the closely followed trends, and to the coherent European freighting network developed by the EU. Even more so, as the European Union appears to treat the Port of Gdansk on partner-like terms. Arising from underlying principles of the Transport Infrastructure Needs Assessment (TINA), the strategy in force in the European Union assumes that the Port of Gdansk will comprise a key link in the Trans-European Transport Corridor No. 6.

In wake of the enlargement of the European Union by the applicant countries, the Baltic Sea will become, in fact, an internal sea of the European Union and, under its transport policy, it will be recognized as a natural seaward extension of the land transportation network, where ports act as efficient intermodal centres supported by well-developed logistic systems. Apart from motorways designed as part of the land freighting corridors the idea of the "motorways of the sea" or "motorways of the Baltic Sea" is becoming increasingly popular. Prevailing, in these terms, are ro-ro cargoes and containers, as well as ferry services and combined transport systems. The essential condition for their implementation is to facilitate easy access to the Port, in particular a landside approach. Therefore, a vital objective for the Port of Gdansk in terms of measures undertaken as far as the Port development is concerned, is the conformity with the operating standards of a major land and sea, intermodal transportation centre in the framework of the pan-European Transport Corridor No. 6 delineated by the European Union to connect Scandinavia with South European countries, in particular those of the Adriatic and the Black Sea regions.

To a large extent, the investment projects designed by the Port aim at substantial improvement of the road accessibility to the Port and at upgrades on the existing port infrastructure, as well as providing new facilities that will ensure increased volumes of ro-ro throughput as well as intensified ferry services and container shipment. The major development plans are contained in the project called "Priority Project in Trans-European Transport Network, Multimodal Connection North-South, Section Gdansk-PL State Border with Czech Republic and Slovakia" compiled in agreement with the Ministry of Infrastructure and presented by Poland to the High Level Group at the European Commission. Submitted for co-financing from the EU resources, the project covers the construction of a Polish section of the rail and road transport corridor stretching from the borderline with the Czech Republic and Slovakia to Gdansk. An essential part of the project is the provision of a road and rail connection between the land section of Corridor 6 and the Port, with the purpose of further haulage of cargoes to the sea.

As far as the Port itself is concerned, the project envisages the development of container and ferry terminals, the construction of a ca. 23-kilometer long road to connect the Port with the starting point of the planned A1 motorway and, finally, the provision of a new railway bridge over the Dead Vistula river to ensure good quality connection with the railway network within Corridor 6. In line with the adopted targets, an overall annual handling capacity of container and ferry terminals will amount to 500,000 TEU (with possible further growth of up to 1 million TEU), 50,000 heavy vehicles, 350,000 passenger vehicles and 1.5 million passengers.

An important step towards a successful accomplishment of those plans was the agreement initialed in February this year between the Port of Gdansk Authority SA and the British investor DCT Gdansk Co. on a long-term tenancy of the development land in the Northern Port. The agreement provides for the construction, at the investor's own cost (estimated ca. $175 million), of a container terminal, including one ro-ro berth.

Upon completion of newly projected terminals, a natural demand will rise for establishing a logistic centre within the Port of Gdansk. Its provision in the close vicinity of the terminals has been envisaged in the port development plans.

Another vital part of the project that has been regarded as a concluding stage towards the improved road accessibility to the port, is the development of a tunnel thoroughfare under the Dead Vistula. Once operational, it will ensure an efficient road approach for heavy vehicle fleets to those areas of the port situated on the left bank of the Dead Vistula and, additionally, it will stimulate the business and investment activities both on the port grounds, and also in the areas surrounding the vast investment land.

Total investment expenditure on the project in terms of the infrastructure-related aspects of the improvement measures on road access and the provision of container and ferry terminals amounts to 500 million euros.

Alongside the prospective developments at the Port of Gdansk described above, investment measures are undertaken with the view towards improvements on the existing port infrastructure within the Inner Port stretching along both embankments of the Dead Vistula. Those measures aim at necessary adjustments in this area to enable the implementation of ro-ro freight and ferry technologies, and at providing suitable conditions to boost the investment activities on the development land situated in the area (the construction of a ro-ro berth in the Port Free Zone, another berth suited for container handling at the Gdansk Container Terminal, a second ferry berth at the Westerplatte Terminal, the upgrading of the entrance to the Inner Port). This is also the case, in which the scale of the estimated expenditure exceeds own financial resources of the Port, as a total worth of investment outlays necessary for this set of projects amounts to ca. 31.5 million euros. Therefore, applications have been made by the Port of Gdansk to the Sector Operation Programme for the allocation of financial aid from the European Union.

The projects set out in this article constitute a crucial element in terms of the implementation of the development policy adopted by the Port of Gdansk in view of the anticipated accession of Poland and other applicant states to the European Union. The opportunity to obtain financial support for the planned undertakings from the EU funds will substantially affect the implementation schedule of the prospective developments. On many occasions, the Port of Gdansk welcomes the adequate recognition of the issues mentioned above. Admittedly, the significance of the said enterprises exceeds the boundaries of the Port, the city, or even the entire region. Proper acknowledgement of the rightful position of the Port of Gdansk and the range of consequent benefits gain the European dimension.

Andrzej Kasprzak
President
Port of Gdansk Authority SA