Port of Gdańsk at the Maritime Economy Forum and Pomeranian Congress of Intermodal Transport
Łukasz Greinke, President of the Port of Gdańsk, took part in the 21st edition of the Maritime Economy Forum Gdynia 2022 event, during which experts from the maritime industry, economists and scientists discussed the challenges and opportunities of this economic sector in its new geopolitical environment.
The forum took place on 14 October at the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park. This year’s programme of events focused on five main thematic blocks: maritime technologies, seaports, maritime logistics, yachting industries and renewable energy. Long-standing practitioners who manage maritime businesses and industry-experienced professionals took part in the event. This year, the main issue facing the maritime industry was the war in Ukraine. Ports and Logistics panel participants discussed its impact on the situation of Polish and European ports, and talked about interrupted supply chains caused by Russian aggression.
Łukasz Greinke, President of the Port of Gdańsk, participated in a discussion on the long-term development vision of seaports of fundamental importance to the national economy. Together with the presidents of Gdynia, Szczecin and Świnoujście ports he discussed the needs and expectations of business partners towards port infrastructure.
“We listen intently to our port operators, as they know best what to do to optimise port operations. That is why we invest in access infrastructure, both on the land and the water. We recently completed two projects of key importance for us and our business partners. One concerned the modernisation of 5 km of quays and the deepening of the fairway in the inner harbour. The second was the reconstruction of the road and rail system in the exterior port, ensuring that access to the deep-water terminals is collision-free. Our investments must be in synergy with the investments by operators. DCT Gdańsk, simultaneously with our road and railway investment, expanded its internal railway system. The tracks were lengthened to 750 meters while the siding was widened from 4 to 7 tracks. The construction of Baltic Hub 3, an investment in draining the waters of Gdańsk Bay, will begin in the next few days. This means that a third quay for the handling of containers will be built,” said Łukasz Greinke, President of the Port of Gdańsk.
In encouraging potential business partners to invest in the port, he said: “This is the last moment to invest in our port. The space available in the port is shrinking at a record pace.”
Meanwhile, Lech Paszkowski, Director of the Development and Investment Department at the Port of Gdańsk, took part in a debate announcing the BaltExpo 2023 fair and conference, as part of the 2nd Pomeranian Congress of Intermodal Transport, which took place on 12 September at the Gdańsk AmberExpo Centre.
The event gathered representatives of logistics operators and companies, rail and road transport industries, central and local government administration, scientific institutions and universities, as well as industry associations and clusters. There was a discussion on new technologies in the maritime industry, as well as the challenges and benefits of eco-investments.
One of the directors, Lech Paszkowski, took part in the debate: “Consequences of adapting to environmental regulations in the context of the competitiveness of the Polish maritime economy.” The discussion concerned green technologies in the maritime industry.
The Port of Gdańsk places great emphasis on adapting the hydrotechnical infrastructure to meet the environmental requirements. This is reflected in the equipping of the quays with infrastructure that allows the installation of onshore power supply (OPS) systems, meaning that high-powered electrical connections can be made quickly. The system is designed to supply electricity to a ship from land during its stay in the port.
“We have a strong focus on such solutions. We are trying to ensure that our own and our business partners’ investments include reserves for cabling and transformer stations. We are also already planning the construction of a second main power point in the port, to be ready for the changes that are inevitable. Furthermore, in all the investments that my team is carrying out, we pay particular attention to water and sewage management. There has been a lot of technical neglect in the port for many years when it comes to infrastructure. We are trying to put this right by building separators and settling tanks, so that the water we discharge into the port channel is as clean as possible,” explained Lech Paszkowski.
He also recalled a project completed this year to comprehensively modernise the Port of Gdańsk’s lighting system.
“Until recently, the Port of Gdańsk was equipped with old lighting technology, using mercury vapour, high-pressure sodium and metal halide light sources, which are known to be more expensive to operate and also environmentally unfriendly. We have replaced over a thousand sodium and mercury fittings with modern LED fittings. They are operated under the supervision of the City Touch intelligent control and monitoring system,” he added.
Contact for the media:
Anna Drozd – spokesperson for the Port of Gdańsk
e-mail: anna.drozd@portgdansk.pl
tel: (+48) 727 064 605
