The Port of Gdańsk is on course for a record – figures for the first half of the year leave no doubt
After the first quarter of this year, the Port of Gdańsk moved into 8th place in the ranking of European ports, ahead of such port giants as Marseille, Barcelona, Constanţa and Valencia. The Port of Amsterdam is already within reach. The Port of Gdańsk continues to hold the position of container leader in the Baltic Sea and ranks 2nd in total cargo handling. It is second only to the Port of Ust-Luga, which is the main export window for Russian energy raw materials.
After the first half of the year, energy raw materials are on a surge at the Port of Gdańsk. Liquid fuel handling reached 18.3 million tonnes (up by 59 per cent), and coal handling 8.4 million tonnes (up by 117 per cent). General cargo recorded a 6 per cent decrease – reaching 11 million tonnes.
A significant current challenge for ports in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Port of Gdańsk, is the handling of grain. In six months, around 1.4 million tonnes of grain (predominantly corn) were exported from the Port of Gdańsk, a 52% increase on the corresponding period of the previous year. It can be compared with just over 1.9 million tonnes of grain handled by the Port of Gdańsk throughout the whole of 2022. Other bulk cargo reached 1.7 million tonnes (up by 9 per cent).
‘It has been a very good six months. We can already say that we will break the 2022 cargo handling record. The latest results clearly show the good shape of the Port of Gdańsk. In total, we handled 36 per cent more goods than last year’, concludes Łukasz Malinowski, CEO of the Port of Gdańsk. ‘Just last year, the Port of Gdańsk was ranked 13th in Europe, and now we are in 8th place’.
Over the last six months, a total of 1,832 merchant ships called at Gdańsk (average GT of 24,585). This is 125 more vessels than in the first half of 2022 (then the average GT was 20,394).
There is a noticeable increase in cargo handling in the Inner Port – by as much as 66.7 per cent. This is due, for example, to the investments made in this part of the port, which make the calls of larger vessels possible. The upgrade of the fairway (7 km long) and the extension of quays (5 km) in the Inner Port was completed in 2022. However, this is not the end of investment in the Inner Port. The Port of Gdańsk has received subsidies as part of the project ‘Improving the Port of Gdańsk infrastructure and analysing the implementation of a low-carbon OPS system for the sustainable development of the TEN-T network.’ The nearly EUR 100 million subsidy comes from the ‘Connecting Europe’ Facility (CEF 2). This project envisages the redevelopment of four more quays, with a total length of nearly 2 km, together with the necessary underground and rail infrastructure. Wiślane and Bytomskie Quays are located along the Port Channel, while Rudowe III and Węglowe Quays are located in Górniczy Basin. In the meantime, the Port of Gdańsk Authority announced three tender procedures for the selection of contractors for construction works in Rudowe, Bytom and Wiślane Quays. The announcement of the fourth tender – for the Węglowe Quay – is planned for the third quarter of 2023.
The project will help boost the competitiveness of the Port of Gdańsk, increasing its potential for handling cargo and throughput.
