Port of Gdansk, the oldest and largest Polish seaport

Port of Gdansk is the oldest and largest Polish seaport, dating back to the tenth century.

Today the Port of Gdansk is an important logistics hub in Central and Eastern Europe, whose advantageous location has, over the last several years, placed it at the forefront of the fastest growing ports on the Baltic Sea.

It is significant that Gdansk is the largest sea port in Poland, whose population is sixth in terms of the European Union market with a natural hinterland of further markets to the East and South including more than 100 million people. Gdansk’s port location is also valued by the European Union, with the establishment of Gdansk as a core port within the Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T, which is a key transportation link for the European continent. The EU decided that the Port of Gdansk would therefore become the initial link in the TEN-T “Baltic-Adriatic” corridor no.1

The Port of Gdansk lies on the Gulf of Gdansk, in the central part of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. A unique – in this part of the Baltic basin – attribute of the port are its favourable hydrographic conditions, capable of accommodating the largest vessels able to enter the Baltic, within the bathymetric limitations of the Danish Straits, since a draft of up to 15 meters is the maximum allowed here. The port is even more attractive because of its natural operating parameters. Due to its location at the mouth of a river, the port remains ice free all year round and does not experience tides.

The Port of Gdansk is comprised of two principal sections with naturally diverse operational parameters: the inner port stretched along the Martwa Wisła (Vistula) and the port canal, and the outer port affording direct access to the Gulf of Gdansk.

The inner port (maximal draught of vessels 10,2m) offers a comprehensive range of terminals and facilities designed to handling containerised cargo, passenger ferries and Ro-Ro vessels, passenger cars and citrus fruit, sulphur, phosphorites and other bulk. The other quays fitted with versatile equipment and infrastructure are universal in use and enable the handling of conventional general as well as bulk cargo such as rolled steel products, oversize and heavy lifts, grain, artificial fertilizers, ore and coal.

The outer port (maximal draught of vessels 15,0m) performs its operations on piers, quays and cargo handling jetties situated immediately on the waters of the Gulf of Gdansk. This section of the port offers state-of-the-art facilities suited to handling energy raw materials such as liquid fuels, coal and liquefied gas. The outer port also accommodates modern Deepwater Container Terminal.

At the moment the idea of the Central Port is the biggest concept of expansion of the Port of Gdansk since the 1970s. It may ultimately contribute to nearly doubling the port’s current throughput capacity and diametrically changing Poland’s position in the Baltic area and the area of the port’s market coverage, ie. East-Central Europe.

FACTS ABOUT THE PORT OF GDANSK

• Poland’s largest sea port
• In 2016 Port of Gdansk handled 37.3 million tonnes, (Polish maritime record)
• Ranked 6^th among the largest ports in the Baltic Sea
• Ranked 2^nd in the Baltic Sea in terms of the number of containers handled
• 1% share in the Polish maritime market
• 78% share in handling seaborne liquid fuels in Poland
• 1% share in handling seaborne dry bulk cargo in Poland
• 64% share in handling seaborne containers in Poland
• Implemented regulations of the ISPS Code