– The Gdynia port must be deepened as soon as possible, otherwise it will be marginalized. The list of Baltic ports preparing to accommodate container ships with a capacity of over 10,000 TEU is constantly growing – said Krzysztof Szymborski, CEO of the Baltic Container Terminal (BCT), initiator of the “Gdynia as a Deepwater Port” report. – Deepening is important for the transport sector, and will ultimately affect the competitiveness and development prospects of the Polish economy, which stems from its growing dependence on international trade relations.
The role and share of containers in transport are systematically increasing, and consequently, the ships carrying them are becoming larger. Ten years ago, the average capacity of a container ship was 1,800 TEU (TEU is a standard 20-foot container), and a year ago it was already 3,000 TEU. In recent years, the process of increasing container ship capacity has been accelerating. The largest vessels being built have 15,000 TEU each, and ships with a capacity of 18,000 TEU are in the planning stages. Ports must therefore be prepared to accommodate increasingly larger, deeper-draft vessels.
Currently, container ships with a capacity of about 5,000 TEU and a draft of up to 13 meters can call at Gdynia. This is determined by the size of the port’s turning basin and the depth of the port. The existing 400-meter turning basin only allows for maneuvering ships up to 280 meters in length. The need for intensive work on the development of the port basin is confirmed by investment activities planned and implemented in other North Sea and Baltic ports. Therefore, if the port is to remain competitive, it must be expanded.
The necessity of deepening the Port was confirmed during a conference of the Baltic Container Terminal in Warsaw by representatives of regional and state authorities as well as scientific institutions. On March 1, 2012, in a debate moderated by editor Adam Grzeszak, participants included: Wojciech Szczurek – Mayor of Gdynia, Director Monika Niemiec-Butryn from the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy; Krzysztof Szymborski – CEO of the Baltic Container Terminal; Janusz Jarosiński – CEO of the Port of Gdynia Authority; Dr. Kazimierz Szefler – Director of the Maritime Institute in Gdańsk; Teresa Kamińska – President of the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone; representatives of the Industrial Development Agency, as well as deputies from the Gdynia district and members of the parliamentary Infrastructure Committee.