According to the schedule, on Friday, June 17, at 19:30, the first ship departed from the new Public Ferry Terminal in Gdynia. It was the Stena Spirit ferry, which traditionally headed for Karlskrona, Sweden. It took about 600 passengers, 140 cars and 40 trucks on board.
Almost 600 passengers of the ferry
Stena Spirit were the first to check in at the newly opened Public
Ferry Terminal in Gdynia. The ship that took them to Karlskrona in
Sweden left the new terminal in Gdynia on Friday 17th June 2022 at
19:30. The historic departure was watched by Gdynia Port Vice
President Kazimierz Koralewski and Stena Line Managing Director Marek
Kiersnowski.
As Koralewski stressed, this is a very important day in the history of the Port of Gdynia.
- The new terminal is close to the
center of Gdynia, it is very easy to get here. And it is very modern.
Check-in went very smoothly - said Martyna from Warsaw, who with her
husband was one of the first to use the facilities of the new
terminal. The first departure of the ship gathered a group of Gdynia
citizens who watched the departure of the ferry from the quay.
According to Port of Gdynia, the
Public Ferry Terminal in Gdynia is one of the newest and most modern
on the Baltic Sea. It is located near the main entrance to the port,
at the Polish Quay. The whole area covers over 6 hectares and
includes the main building, parking area and infrastructure,
including the ramp that allows simultaneous entry of cars on two
decks of the ferry.
Development of the ferry
industry
- Recent years have been a period
of intensive development of our line. Both Gdynia and Karlskrona have
become key points not only for our region but for the whole Europe
thanks to the Motorway of the Sea status that our connection has
gained. The beginning of operations of the new Public Ferry Terminal
in Gdynia is also the beginning of a new stage for Stena Line. - said
Marek Kiersnowski, Managing Director of Stena Line Poland. - We will
soon introduce new 240 m long E-Flexer vessels on Gdynia-Karlskrona
line. The new terminal and our new vessels will enable further
development of freight and passenger services, which will strengthen
the transport hub in Gdynia and consequently boost business for our
customers, as well as trade between Poland and Scandinavia.
Moving the Stena Line operations to
the new ferry terminal in Gdynia allows Stena Line to introduce a new
generation of vessels: fuel-efficient, setting new standards in
reducing emissions. Two brand new 240 m long E-Flexer ferries will
soon join the fleet on the Gdynia-Karlskrona route. Each of them has
3600 metres of loading area and can take up to 1200 passengers. The
first of them, Stena Estelle, has just been taken over from the
shipyard and will start operating this summer.
New infrastructure and green
solutions
The location of the new terminal is
conducive to the development of the freight sector, as well as the
future implementation of intermodal solutions in the ferry-railway
relationship. The new terminal also enables the introduction of
modern improvements to port operations, such as the Smart Gate, which
automates the pick-up and drop-off of trailers. Sustainable transport
is another very important issue for Stena Line. At the Public Ferry
Terminal it will be possible to introduce "green port"
ideas, among them shore power for the vessels while at berth, which
will reduce emissions.
The new ferry terminal is also a
convenience for passengers. The modern building offers much more
space and a waiting area with beautiful sea views. It is located in a
walking distance from the city center, in an interesting tourist
location, in close proximity to the Emigration Museum, which is
located in the historic building of the Marine Station - one of the
most important tourist attractions in Gdynia.