The Szczecin-Świnoujście ports complex summed up the first half of this year in terms of transshipments. These are nearly three percent better than at the same time last year. Port operators handled nearly 17.5 million tons of cargo in January-June this year.
There is more ore, fuel and LNG at
the ports. Year-on-year growth is 68.2, 29.1 and 34.8 percent
respectively. The LNG terminal in Świnoujście handled up to the end
of June this year 26 ships with. This compares with 18 at the same
time last year.
The first half of the year ended on
a negative note for coal (-28.6 percent), other bulk cargo (-8
percent), grain (-18.7 percent), general cargo (-1.8 percent), ferry
general cargo (-1.1 percent) and containers (-16.1 percent).
June 2022 alone was 21 percent
better for both ports than June 2021, with coal (+13.8 percent), ore
(+254.4 percent), grain (+95 percent), fuels (+54.2 percent), and LNG
(+73.7 percent) leading the way.
As the Ports Authority recalls in
the communiqué, for several years all ports have been operating
under "extraordinary conditions" caused first by the
pandemic and now also by the war in Ukraine. These factors translate
into the volume of cargo handled at the ports. The ports of
Szczecin-Swinoujscie point out that this can be seen in the case of
coal - in the first half of the year its transshipments dropped
significantly, but in the autumn we should expect increases in this
cargo group, which is the result of contracts already signed.
Transshipment companies in the
ports of Szczecin-Świnoujście are also handling more and more goods
from Ukraine. A total of more than 150,000 tons of goods have been
handled at the ports so far, including ores and grains, which have
gone by sea to customers in the Netherlands and Algeria, among
others. In the second half of 2022, a significant increase in
transshipments of Ukrainian corn, iron ore and pig iron is expected.
Advanced investments are underway at
the ports to create conditions for handling more cargo. Ultimately,
the port of Szczecin will gain new and modernized quays in the area
of the Kashubian Basin and the Debicki Canal, adjusted in parameters
to handle larger vessels, which will call after the modernization of
the Świnoujście-Szczecin waterway to a depth of 12.5 meters. The
ferry terminal in Świnoujscie will be adapted to handle intermodal
transport. The LNG terminal is being expanded by building an
additional unloading and loading berth to handle smaller vessels: gas
carriers, bunker ships and feeder vessels. In turn, thanks to
investments in the construction of new and modernization of existing
technical infrastructure, both ports will be more environmentally
friendly. Access infrastructure, including roads and railroads
connecting the ports with the hinterland, is also systematically
improved. A project that will have a positive impact on the national
and regional economy and complement the offer of both ports will
certainly be the Deepwater Container Terminal in Świnoujście.