2022 was another year in a row that ended with a record of transshipments at the Port of Gdynia. However, it was another period in which both the Port of Gdynia Authority and the operators operating in the port had to show flexibility and quickly adapt to changing market conditions.

In 2022, the Port of Gdynia handled 28.2 million tonnes, 6% more than in the previous year. At the same time, it is over 91% more than in 2013.

– Certainly, coal contributed to this result on the largest scale. The terminals handled more than 3.4 million tons. This is a spectacular result, considering that this large mobilization did not last for a full year, therefore we see the potential of the Port of Gdynia here - said Jacek Sadaj, President of the Port of Gdynia Authority. – The HES Gdynia Bulk Terminal had the largest share in coal handling, but OT Port Gdynia and the Speed terminals also mobilized at a high pace, which also had a share in the export of coal from the port – added Sadaj.

President Sadaj admits that the war in Ukraine, which has reshuffled supply chains across Europe, has also made it necessary to adapt quickly at the port and at the operators operating there. As a result, in 2022, the largest increases were recorded in the port's handling of coal and coke (a total of 3.4 million tonnes, 174% more than in 2021). Wood transshipments also increased (by 109.1%, a total of 533.5 thousand tonnes) and other bulk (0.42% more, 1,716.2 thousand tonnes). The design of the port itself helps in quickly adapting to changing needs.

– Probably, a stable situation would make it easier to plan, but today we cannot count on stable times. Turbulence, dynamics are with us every day. It can be seen that the way in which the port was built and expanded favors this universality. We are able to change the way we operate very easily and quickly, and focus on a different load group. Thanks to this, we have been increasing transshipments year after year. However, let us remember that we are a port surrounded by urban tissue, there are no land reserves at the Port of Gdynia. For further development, it is necessary to go to sea and build the Outer Port, new 151 hectares, which will make it possible to maintain this universality and build a place where more goods can be unloaded - points out Jacek Sadaj.

However, we still have to wait a few years for the new external pier. Meanwhile, the Port of Gdynia Authority is focusing on using and modernizing the existing resources.

– Certain optimizations give us the opportunity to increase the number of loads all the time. Certainly, further investments that we will implement will enable an increase in the volume of grain transshipments. This is a load that has not been properly managed all the time. You have to be aware that coal will not stay with us in Gdynia forever. We also think about parameters related to ecology. New technologies related to the handling of grain will further increase the handling capacity at the Port of Gdynia, announces the President of the PGA. An important moment for this cargo group will be the upcoming tender for the operator of the grain terminal in the port.

Everyone at the Port of Gdynia is also aware that the ongoing investments may temporarily affect the handling capacity. After another record-breaking years, 2023 may - but does not have to - bring slight declines. However, this will not be a cause for concern.

– The investment plan implemented at the Port of Gdynia may, to some extent, limit the amount of transshipped goods. The situation is very dependent on how the containers in the ports behave. The overall market trend is unfortunately downward today. Our infrastructure would be ready to reload many more containers, but the market situation is not conducive to this development. However, we do not plan the port for the next year, but for the next decades, so these investments are necessary for the ports to continue to develop - explains Jacek Sadaj.

However, the port intends to be ready for the moment when the boom for containerized transport returns, although already in 2022 the average tonnage of container ships in Gdynia increased by 13%. The two terminals operating in the port - GCT and BCT - are constantly investing in expanding their capabilities, the port is also gaining new maneuvering and transshipment yards, and one of the most important events that was inaugurated last year is the construction of the so-called Red Road, which will facilitate the transport of cargo from the port by trucks. An important moment of the previous year from the perspective of container handling was the signing of a long-term contract by the Port of Gdynia Authority with ICTSI. Thanks to it, the BCT terminal will operate in Gdynia for at least the next 30 years. As part of the tender, it also received new land, which will give it new opportunities.

In 2022, 4,331 vessels called at the Port of Gdynia. On average, every two weeks a container ship with a length of more than 300 meters arrived. The average tonnage of ships in the port also increased. Gdynia also recorded 8% more ferry calls - a total of 1,016.