The Port Town at the VII European Economic Congress

23.04.2015

A few hours ago the VII International Economic Congress, where once again the Port of Gdansk presented their range of services, came to an end. This year the port's stand, which we called the Port Town, along with the Port of Gdansk Authority SA included participation from: DCT Gdansk, Gdansk Container Terminal, Gdansk Bulk Terminal GBT, the Northern Port as well as the base designed for the transshipment and storage of agricultural foodstuff - Cargofruit. The Port Town was also joined by the Gdansk Economic Development Agency.

During the Congress, thanks to the Customs representatives present at the Port Town, visitors also had the chance to pick up some detailed information on customs and border facilities at Polish ports that have recently been the most interesting topic for those operating on the market, responsible for cargo, or cargo shippers.

The presence of the Port of Gdansk for the second year in a row in the South of Poland at the European Economic Congress is not by chance. This is considered to be the most important economic event in this region of Europe. With more than 6000 visitors as well as dozens of substantive debates conducted by the greatest industrial experts in the areas of industry, the world of science or business, this was a great source of up-to-date information on the current economic situation in Europe, predictions for the development of the Polish economy, the state of Polish entrepreneurship, as well as the current situation regarding Polish ports and the importance of offshore centres in terms of the economy of our country and our position on the map of Europe.

The last of these topics was discussed during the panel discussion "Investments in Polish ports", which took place on the second day of the convention. The debate was attended by representatives of various authorities: Dorota Pyc - Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development, Rafal Baniak - Undersecretary of State in the Treasury and Tomasz Michalak - Director of the Customs Department in the Ministry of Finance. The representatives of companies actively involved in the port and maritime business, particularly in the Port of Gdansk, also spoke including Maciej Kwiatkowski - President of the container terminal DCT Gdansk, Miroslaw Turzynski - President of the Gdansk Phosphate Fertiliser Plant Fosfory and Marcin Moskalewicz - President of PERN Przyjazn. The Port of Gdansk Authority SA was represented during the debate by the CEO - Dorota Raben.

The panel addressed not only issues related to port investments or plans for Polish ports in the future, but they also focused on the healthy condition of Polish seaports, their considerable importance to the national economy and the extraordinary development of the country especially in the recent period.

The competitiveness of our seaports is directly related to the competitiveness of the Polish economy. As emphasised by President Raben, our ports are the largest logistic centres of the country, which each year get closer and closer not only to European but also to international standards. A perfect example is the Port of Gdansk, which in just a few years has become a European container hub and in the long term is expected to be a leader in this field on the Baltic Sea, especially when you consider the current expansion of the Deepwater Container Terminal. As highlighted, the continued success of our Polish ports requires innovation, which is particularly visible in this industry especially in the recent period. It is not only a question of technological innovation, but also procedural, such as the improvement of the border and customs service.

Further investments made in the Port of Gdansk, including those closest - noted the CEO of GZNF Fosfory - offer new opportunities for operators and prompt the implementation of new technologies.
The 90-minute debate was also an opportunity to draw attention to the excellent location of the Port of Gdansk which, being located at the intersection of major trade routes and located closer to eastern Baltic markets than German, or Dutch ports, is the winner especially now with the more and more frequently observed trend to divert cargoes to these areas, which facilitates the transportation of goods as close as possible to the target market. Gdansk is also destined to consolidate its position successively as a hub for the eastern Baltic markets.

Another Economic Congress will be held in Katowice in 12 months' time. Please believe that this year will bring more success for Polish ports, and the next VIII edition of the Economic Congress in Katowice, like the one which has just finished, will be an excellent opportunity to tell people where we stand.