Page 241 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΜΑΙΟΣ 2024

The PAIH’s main objective is to attract domestic ninth in Europe, second in the Baltic Sea, and first
and international capital for infrastructure devel- in the Baltic in terms of containers handled.
opment in Poland. It also supports Polish investors However, this does not mean that the port focuses
in their efforts to expand their activities in interna- exclusively on container handling. Instead, it is a
tional markets; for this reason, it maintains offices multipurpose deepwater port, and the cargo it
in many countries worldwide. handles includes containers, cars, oil, other fuels,
Regarding the projects under evaluation within dry bulk, and chemicals. At the same time, it also
Poland, the most attractive investments come aspires to expand into the LNG market, with work
from the USA, Belarus, China, and Poland. to install an FSRU at the port already underway.
After a short tour of Warsaw, Naftika Chronika vis- Particular emphasis has also been placed on inland
ited the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, where the supply chains to and from the Port of Gdansk,
interview with Arkadiusz Marchewka took place. focusing specifically on road transport. Over 2,500
The Deputy Minister put his cards on the table trucks depart daily from the port, which is indeed
regarding the government’s priorities in the ship- a major cargo gateway to Northern Europe.
ping, transportation, and environmental sectors. The port’s development course over the last ten
The Naftika Chronika editorial team’s next stop - years has been remarkable, with its total cargo
after a two-hour rail journey across Poland - was handling capacity reaching 81 million tonnes in
Gdańsk, the country’s largest port, where they met 2023, an increase of 167% compared with 2013.
with representatives of the Port Authority, as well This growth becomes particularly evident when
as representatives of the Polish Register of Ship- compared to 2021, demonstrating the significant
ping (PRS) and the Bota Group, at the top of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Euro-
port’s 61-metre lighthouse. In its presentation, the pean supply chains. In 2023, 47% of the cargo at
PRS focused on its scope of activities, future plans, the port fell under the category of liquid cargo,
and prospects. It also highlighted its ambitions to while 28% were containers, 17% coal, 4% grains,
expand into the Greek market. Currently, the Pol- and 4% other bulk cargo.
ish registry has been chosen by Greek-managed The next steps for the Port of Gdańsk include
vessels with a cumulative capacity of 420,000 Baltic Hub 3, the new container terminal, which
gt. For its part, the Bota Group representatives will add an extra 1.5 million TEU annual capacity,
elaborated on the Group’s activities in the port of further improving the Port of Gdańsk infrastruc-
Gdansk. They also spoke about the comprehensive ture through an implementation analysis of the
solutions it provides to the maritime and offshore low-emission OPS system for the sustainable
markets based on customer needs. Bota special- development of the TEN-T network, as well as
ises in propulsion, supplementing its offer with an FSRU terminal with an annual regasification
power hydraulics, marine engines, automation, and capacity of 6.1 billion m3 annually that is to be com-
design services. pleted by 2028. In addition, further investments in
The Gdank Port Authority’s presentation was titled land-based supply chains, with a focus on railways,
“Europe’s fastest growing port”. The port is ranked will play a significant role.

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