The President of the Port of Gdańsk, Krzysztof Kaczmarek, signed two contracts with PORR S.A. for the modernization of the Rudowe and Bytomskie quays. The total length of the quays undergoing reconstruction is over 450 m. The investment is part of a larger project co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility for 2021-2027 (CEF 2). The implementation of this project will contribute to the increase in the competitiveness of the Port of Gdańsk, strengthening the transhipment potential and increasing throughput.

For the implementation of the project entitled "Improvement of the infrastructure of the Port of Gdansk together with an analysis of the implementation of the low-emission OPS system for the sustainable development of the TEN-T network", the European Union provided a subsidy of nearly EUR 100 million. It envisages the reconstruction of four quays of the Inner Port, with a total length of 1,916 meters, along with the necessary underground and railway infrastructure. The first works will be conducted at two quays – Bytomskie, located along the Port Canal, and Rudowe, located in the Górniczy Basin. The next quays (Wiślane and Węglowe) will be modernized at a later date, after the tender procedures are completed.

The total value of the contracts signed today for the implementation of construction works is PLN 142 million gross, of which PLN 51 million is for the Bytomskie quay and PLN 91 million for Rudowe. The investment is to be completed in less than 2 years.

– These are old and worn-out structures. The Rudowe Quay was built over 80 years ago at the turn of the 1930s and 1940s. It only underwent temporary renovations. Due to the poor technical condition (including the sheet pile wall), in 2019, part of the quay was closed to ship service and reloading. The Bytomskie Quay is slightly younger. The slab part that is currently in use was built almost 60 years ago – explains Stefan Rudnik, director of the Investment Division of the Port of Gdańsk Authority S.A. – Carrying out dredging works and increasing the depth at the quays opens up the possibility of handling larger vessels than before at these facilities, which in turn may translate into the transshipment volume.

The expansion of the 232.5-metres long Rudowe III Quay, which will begin soon, will include an 18-meter section of the Administrative Quay. As part of the project, a new quay will be constructed with a slab structure supported on a grid of reinforced concrete piles, with a front steel combined sheet pile wall. There will also be a 265 m long railway track on the quay. As a result of dredging works, part of the Górniczy Basin will be deepened to 11.20 m (currently from 6.1 to 10.2 m).

– The quay will have a greater load-bearing capacity and will be adapted to transshipment with the largest self-propelled devices such as LHM 550 and Mantsinen 300. Thanks to the deepening of part of the basin, ships with a maximum draft of up to 10.60 m and a load-bearing capacity of up to 35,000 DWT will be able to moor here – says Artur Dziambor, spokesman for the Port of Gdańsk.

Unlike Rudowe, the Bytomskie Quay is currently used for ship servicing and transshipment. Due to the unsatisfactory technical condition of the existing slab part of the quay, and to enable the mooring of vessels with larger parameters, the PGA decided to rebuild it. The modernization will cover two sections: a slab part with a length of approx. 143 m and a slope part with a length of 60 m.

Thanks to this task, the quay will be extended to 203 m as a result of the installation of 60 m of slope quay. Like Rudowe, the new Bytomskie Quay will have a slab structure supported on a grid of reinforced concrete piles, with a front steel combined sheet piling. The quay will have a surface made of cement concrete reinforced with dispersed reinforcement. As a result of dredging works aimed at deepening the part at the quay to 10.20 m (currently approximately 6 m), ships with a deadweight capacity of up to 7,000 DWT and a length of 120 m will be able to moor here. But it will also be possible to adapt the quay to handle ships with a deadweight capacity up to 15,000 DWT and 145 m long after removing the mooring dolphin and communication bridge of the existing dolphin transshipment station.

In the case of both quays, a new water supply network, a storm sewage system with a pre-treatment system, an electricity network and new energy-saving lighting will also be built. The quays will be equipped with point fenders and mooring bollards with a load capacity of 100T. The structure of the quays is to be prepared for the subsequent implementation of a shore-based power supply system for ships while at standstill – the so-called OPS.

Over the last 3 years, the Port of Gdańsk has completed two key investments, also co-financed by EU programs. In the Inner Port, the 7 km long waterway was deepened and 5 km of quays were modernized. In turn, the road and rail system was expanded in the Outer Port. As part of this task, 7 km of roads, 10 km of tracks and 4 new viaducts were built. The total value of these investments is over PLN 700 million.