Having had another successful year with record-breaking transshipments, the Port of Gdansk Authority anticipates that 2023 will also end with a record-breaking result - 78-80 million tons of cargo, according to the port.

As part of the January press conference at the Ministry of Infrastructure, three Polish ports of strategic importance for the state's economy - Gdask, Gdynia and Szczecin-Swinoujcie - announced last year's transshipment results. With 68.3 million tons transshipped, Gdansk again set a record.

– It seemed that 2021 was already a very good year for the Port of Gdansk, because 53.2 million tons were handled. As of right now, there are 68.3 million tons. These are results that absolutely no one dreamed of until recently - said Łukasz Greinke, President of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA. – This is the result of very diligent work not only by the port authorities but also by our operators. There is a mutual understanding between us. A number of stakeholders from different sides are trying to reach out to one another - he added.

Transshipments affected by the war

Łukasz Greinke does not deny that the Ukrainian war had a big impact on transshipments at the Port of Gdansk in 2022. As a result, crude oil and coal were transported in increased quantities. Therefore, liquid fuels became the predominant cargo group at the port, with a handling increase of 35% to 25 million tonnes.

A total of 13.2 million tons of coal were handled, an increase of 175% from 2021. Import transshipments account for the majority of this volume.

Naftoport, which handles fuel transhipments, still has substantial reserves, as the president of the Port of Gdansk assured. A system of oil pipelines makes it much easier to remove goods from the port itself. Organizing the infrastructure for coal - equipment, squares, and quays - was essential.

– It appears that we are able to unload approximately 400,000 tons on board and export the same amount of this commodity. Therefore, we are prepared to reload around 20 million tons of coal annually without causing congestion at our yards or in the port - said Greinke.

There is no hiding the fact that before 2022, the Port of Gdansk Authority anticipated it would be a record year. However, the reality exceeded expectations.

– We set a record. Our goal for 2022 was to exceed 60 million tonnes. Our estimate, however, was 61-62 million tons - reminded Łukasz Greinke. Finally, Gdansk handled approximately 6 million additional tonnes.

As a result of the increase in demand for energy resources, as well as the dynamic nature of the market, which is constantly changing, for example due to sanctions imposed on Russia, the arrangement of goods at the Port of Gdansk has changed.

– Due to the war, we had to balance our loads – said Greinke. - Because of the embargo on Russia, containers passed us by, while on the other hand, we added volumes of commodities such as crude oil or coal, but most importantly, we had to work closely with terminals, PKP PLK, and other institutions to prepare the infrastructure and improve logistics processes within the port itself.

Where is the ceiling?

A record-breaking year of transshipments indicates that the port is approaching the limits of its current architectural and infrastructure capabilities.

– In my opinion, this is an estimate of 88-90 million tons of goods in all cargo groups – said Lukasz Greinke. However, the president pointed out that this is an assessment of the current possibilities, and large infrastructure investments are underway to increase them. The most significant of them is the expansion of the Baltic Hub container terminal. – For example, we are focusing our efforts on berth W at Naftoport, which will provide additional transshipment opportunities. Our operators also improve port capacity by investing in superstructures, such as port cranes. For example, Port Gdański Eksploatacja will receive two recently purchased Liebherr 550 mobile cranes this year. In addition, we are proceeding with the purchase of two more mobile Liebherr 280 cranes. By increasing reloading rates, the time spent handling the ship at the quay decreases, and the unloading capacity of the entire port increases - explained the president. The Port of Gdansk Authority estimates that another transshipment record will be achieved this year.

– We plan to reload 78-80 million this year said Greinke. – We are a rapidly growing port. We aspire to be a leader in European rankings. There is no port that has achieved such growth in the last decade. We are constantly strengthening our position on the Baltic Sea - we are already on 2nd place in total transshipments - added the President of the Management Board of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA.