Port of Gdańsk at EEC 2025: seaports as hubs for tax-driven money creation and job generation

Polish seaports – what is their current state, have they reached their handling capacity ceiling, or does Poland need another major deep-sea port? These and other strategic questions were addressed by maritime and infrastructure experts during a compelling panel discussion at the European Economic Congress, which shed new light on the future of Polish logistics and maritime transport.

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Today   |   09:31   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

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Cargo handling in Polish ports, particularly containerized general cargo, continues to grow steadily. Shifts in global trade patterns demand strategic thinking and long-term investment planning. The response to the rising volume of goods passing through the Port of Gdańsk, along with geopolitical and energy challenges facing Central and Eastern Europe, is the continued development of port infrastructure.

Infrastructure investments planned by the Port of Gdańsk aim to align with dynamic changes in the global supply chain and increasing demand for the handling of strategic cargo – from containers and liquid fuels to components for offshore wind farms. Alan Aleksandrowicz, Vice President of the Port of Gdańsk, emphasized that the port's current two- to three-year undertakings are a continuation of key investment projects

- Implementation takes about that long while design takes just as much time. A decade or two – or more – is the time horizon we consider when developing growth strategy. Some critical infrastructure projects will launch in the 2030s and – I hope – conclude in the 2040s. We see the need for a new rail-road corridor. We are fully aware that even the design phase will take years, starting from corridor studies, concept design, through to execution – explained Alan Aleksandrowicz

He also highlighted that the nearly 17 percent increase in container throughput recorded in Q1 of this year is partially driven by trials at the new T3 terminal at Baltic Hub. Cargo handling has already commenced at the new quay. Work is also underway on T5 – the construction of the offshore terminal for handling materials used in offshore wind farm development. Soon, the Port of Gdańsk will commence the expansion of Naftoport, including a new berth for liquid fuels and full accompanying infrastructure. This – alongside containers – is one of the key cargo groups at the Port of Gdańsk. The port also makes use of existing infrastructure assets

- We are investing heavily in the Inner Port, in quays along the Martwa Wisła. We also aim to maximize the potential of the deepwater Outer Port – a location where we don’t need to pour additional billions into hydro-technical or navigational infrastructure, because it’s already there (breakwaters, turning basins, approach channels). Let me remind you that the breakwater currently under construction for the FSRU costs over PLN 800 million. We want to develop the space between Baltic Hub and the ore pier – the so-called Deepwater. We hope new cargo groups will emerge there. There may be significant developments in Rudoport or the Northern Port, operated by Węglokoks. We are counting on the coal pier to finally be utilized – explained the Vice President of the Port of Gdańsk

Given this context, and in light of the increasing importance of intermodal transport, adapting the rail infrastructure to evolving logistics demands becomes critical. This was confirmed during the panel by Marcin Mochocki, Investment Delivery Director at PKP PLK

- Seaports are one of the main generators of freight and intermodal traffic in Poland. But their needs are constantly evolving. We have a lot of work ahead to adapt rail infrastructure to current conditions. PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe is undertaking a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing freight transport efficiency, especially in economically strategic regions. We are in active discussions with the Port of Gdańsk management about an alternative railway line to the port – he assured.

Other ports are also investing

Fellow panelists representing other Polish seaports of strategic importance to the national economy emphasized their own modernization efforts and strategic investment projects

Krzysztof Sadowski, Vice President of the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority, spoke of investments aimed at aligning port infrastructure with the upgraded Szczecin-Świnoujście fairway

As a result, a decision was made to modernize two basins in the Port of Szczecin – Dębicki and Kaszubski. One handles bulk cargo, the other general cargo. The works are being carried out on a living organism – in basins where port operations continue daily – he explained.

Meanwhile, Katarzyna Gruszecka-Spychała, Vice President of the Port of Gdynia, addressed the rising throughput of general cargo, including containers

This aligns with our goals of growing that segment, primarily through the development of the Outer Port, which remains our most challenging investment. We are currently modernizing the liquid fuel handling berth. As a state-owned company, we are responsible for delivering on specific strategic interests of the Polish state – she stated.

Does Poland need another major deep-sea port

- It would be hard to simply decree that a large port should suddenly be built on the Central Baltic Coast. A seaport is an entire ecosystem, a logistics chain that evolves over decades. Sure, building something may be relatively easy. The real question is whether a full logistics chain will develop, so the port becomes a value-added asset for the national economy. However, the subsidiary role of smaller ports is definitely worth pursuing. I’m thinking of offshore wind or military mobility zones. One of those smaller ports should definitely have dual-use potential – like Ustka or Kołobrzeg – said Alan Aleksandrowicz.

The panel’s moderator – Ernest Czermański, Director of the Center for Maritime Economy Research and Head of the Maritime Economy Department at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdańsk – pointed out in his introduction that ports serve not just as cargo handling points but as key drivers of employment

- Ports are gateways to the entire country’s economy. They are also centers for generating tax-based capital and employment. One job in the port authority generates 58 jobs in the port area and as many as 1780 jobs nationwide. This means that with current staffing levels in Polish port authorities, 1.7 million people are directly or indirectly employed thanks to the existence of Polish ports – he said.

Investments in maritime infrastructure today are not merely part of transport policy but a foundational element of Poland’s and Central Eastern Europe’s raw material, energy, and economic security. Structural investments planned decades in advance address not only present market needs but also the evolving global landscape and the growing strategic role of the Baltic Sea as a key trade and energy corridor for the region.

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