The Qataris are “driving away”. The new port in Świnoujście will be built by Polish companies

The infrastructure of the new port with a deep-water container terminal will be implemented by the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority; the agreement signed in 2023 with the Belgian-Qatari consortium is not valid, said the president of the port, Jarosław Siergiej.

The new external port in Świnoujście, which is to accept 400-meter-long container ships and handle 2 million TEUs annually, will be larger than planned by the previous authorities of the Port of Silesia in 2023 and will be entirely implemented by Polish state entities. The details of the project, called “Cape Pomerania”, were announced on Monday by Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewka and the president of the port, Jarosław Siergiej.

– We are building Cape Pomerania and we can do it ourselves. We are building a new port on the Baltic Sea. A port that is a sign of our ambitions, capabilities and the importance of maritime economy in the economy of our country – said Marchewka during the conference in Szczecin.

He recalled that the costs of construction of maritime and land infrastructure of the planned port amount to approximately PLN 10 billion. A new approach track is to be built (70 km long, 500 m wide and 17 m deep), breakwaters, 2,900 m long quays, two access railway tracks (3 km), a siding with 10 tracks of 800 m each, new energy infrastructure, etc.

The construction of the Deepwater Container Terminal, which is to have over 1,300 m of quays and handle three container ships at the same time (two 400-meter long and one smaller one, the so-called feeder), was planned to be carried out in 2023 as an international consortium. In July 2023, the then management board of the Port of Silesia and Silesia signed a preliminary agreement with DEME CONCESSIONS NV based in Belgium and QTERMINALS WLL based in Qatar regarding a 30-year lease of land in the external port, financing, construction and operation of GTK. Investment costs were estimated at EUR 450 million, i.e. over PLN 1.5 billion.

On Monday, Marchewka and Sergei announced that the contract was no longer valid. They emphasized that one of the consortium members did not come to talks with the Municipal Sports and Recreation Authority in October. He also failed to fulfill his obligations regarding financing the project.

– We are able to build and implement this investment ourselves. The original idea of ​​this terminal does not correspond to what is economically justified, therefore all parameters that were previously included in the preliminary agreement have changed. It no longer has a raison d'être, it's not rational, so there is no agreement with the consortium for a new investment, said Sergei.

The President of the Municipal Seaport and Environmental Protection Authority explained that the binding period of the final contract expired on October 31, and only representatives of the Belgian company appeared at the meeting on October 30.

One of the partners did not come. When asked why this happened, we were told: that the partner had adopted a passive position. If you understand what a passive position is in the project, explain to me, Sergei ironized during a meeting with the media.

He noted that ZMPSiŚ has experience in implementing large infrastructure investments. Siergiej recalled the construction of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście, which has been operating for 10 years. – We have the competence to build it. We have the competence to manage land and areas. However, our statutory competence is not to operate on terminals, he added.

When asked when and how the terminal operator would be selected, Sergei announced that when Cape Pomerania is built, “when it will be covered with dredged material”, the ZMPSiŚ will invite interested entities, including the mentioned Belgian-Qatari consortium, to submit offers. – To finish this area, develop it according to our own concept and operate on it – explained Siegiej.

The President of the Municipal Port of Silesia and the Deputy Minister assessed that the external port and GTK project in the version presented by their predecessors was irrational and unprofitable. It contained errors, including: collision with the gas port infrastructure. The documentation regarding the issuance of the environmental decision indicated a depth of 14.5 m. – This means that they were building a container terminal into which container ships would not enter. Because how can you build an approach fairway of 17 meters and port basins of 14.5 meters? – asked Marchewka.

The deputy minister emphasized that the ZMPSiŚ did not have any documentation confirming the profitability of the project. Only the new port authorities commissioned analyzes from one of the international consulting companies. – The study that we commissioned to professional companies (…) showed that what PiS politicians proposed would not be returned to the port for 158 years – said Marchewka.

The Deputy Minister recalled that over the last year and a half, key tasks preparing the investment have been completed: a location decision was obtained, an environmental decision was obtained, seabed research was carried out, the port basin design was carried out, and in the first quarter of 2026, a contractor for the so-called technical road that will enable the construction of the port to begin in 2027. The investment is expected to be completed in 2029.

To create Cape Pomerania, we need over 20 million tons of sand to cover an area of ​​186 hectares. At the same time, we need to deepen the approach fairway, build a turntable and a port basin. And in this respect, we have to extract 19 million tons of excavated material – explained Krzysztof Sadowski, vice-president of ZMPSiŚ.

Sadowski emphasized that the new road system to the port will cover 47 ha and will be located 4 km from the city of Świnoujście. He assured that thanks to this, the operation of the port will not be burdensome for residents, will not generate traffic jams, etc.

– 186 hectares of new Poland will be developed by Polish entities. This is an investment for decades and we must prepare it in the best possible way, said the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure.

The access infrastructure in the Baltic Sea will be implemented by the Maritime Office in Szczecin. Its director Wojciech Zdanowicz told PAP that the costs of constructing a 70-kilometer approach track to Świnoujście are estimated at PLN 5 billion. Financing was secured in the state budget. (PAP)

(we plan to continue the topic)

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