The Port of Gdansk at the Fracht Intermodal Transport Forum

18.04.2017

On 13 April, the Fracht Intermodal Transport Forum was held at Amber Expo Gdansk for the fifth time. The event was organised under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Construction, the Marshals of the Pomorskie and Zachodniopomorskie Regions, and the Mayors of the City of Gdansk and the City of Gdynia.

Just as in previous years, the Port of Gdansk was a Partner of the Forum.

This year's Fracht was dedicated to the development of intermodal transport in Poland, considering its impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of the functioning of the country's transport and logistics system.

The issue of the current situation of seaports and the developmental challenges that they face was also raised. The discussion's participants included representatives of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA, the DCT and BCT container terminals, the Revenue Administration Regional Office in Gdansk, and the PKP LHS carrier.

The debate summing up the current situation in terms of commodity handling in the Polish ports emphasised the significance of the border and customs improvements introduced on the country's maritime borders which have been contributing to the rapid growth of commodity handling at ports for several years now. The debate's participants also devoted a lot of attention to investments in infrastructure, both port and terminal infrastructure, which considerably enhanced the position of the Polish ports, particularly in terms of intermodal transport handling. However, they do not yet satisfy the needs of the Polish port centres in this respect.

The extensive programme of planned development projects which are to be implemented at the Port of Gdansk soon was presented by Marcin Osowski, Director for Infrastructure at the Port of Gdansk Authority SA.

The last part of the Forum was dedicated to the development of new transport routes in Poland and beyond, including Via Carpathia and Rail Baltica, as well as the Silk Road. Attempts were made to assess their impact on the current shape of intermodal transport and their significance for the competitiveness of Polish seaports.

Like every year, this year's Forum was preceded by a study visit. Last year, the participants had the chance to familiarise themselves with the port's potential, and this year, they accepted the invitation of the DCT Container Terminal, which presented the effects of its expansion and new operational capabilities.