Port of Gdańsk – 50th anniversary of the Northern Port for Poland’s energy security
By Marek Grzybowski
Port Północny is the most important and largest part of the Port of Gdansk. The port is a key element of the Polish economy. Port Północny is a strategic element of the global logistics chain in the Baltic Sea. 50 years ago, approximately 70 hectares of new land were wrested from the sea, on which bases for coal export and crude oil transshipment were built.
The infrastructure of Port Północny enables the reception of the largest ships to the Baltic Sea. The modern terminals of Port Północny allow for the service of tankers for the transport of liquid cargo, including oil and LPG tankers.
The bulk cargo terminal accepts bulk carriers with ore and coal. The modern container terminal accepts mega container ships of 20 thousand TEU and feeders.
Thanks to Port Północny, Polish logistics has gained the status of an important player in global maritime trade.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Northern Port, a ceremonial jubilee gala was held at the Shakespeare Theatre in Gdańsk on 12 November this year. The Gala of the Northern Port was attended by, among others, Arkadiusz Marchewka, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Mieczysław Struk, local government authorities, members of parliament, business representatives and port employees, and engineers who built the Northern Port.
The hosts of the Port of Gdansk Gala were: Dorota Pyć, president of the Port of Gdansk, vice-president Alan Aleksandrowicz and vice-president Krzysztof Kaczmarek.
The infrastructure of the Northern Port in Gdańsk is adapted to handle the largest ships passing through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea. The oil port and the modern deep-water container terminal are the most important parts of the Northern Port. Today, the largest container ships in the world call at the Northern Port, and the Port of Gdańsk is included in the bloodstream of the global economy, actively participating in international maritime trade – said Dorota Pyć, president of the Port of Gdańsk.
– This jubilee is taking place at a special time. Yesterday we celebrated the 106th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence. Although the memory of those events has a slightly different dimension today than 100 years ago, two factors remain unchanged. The first is building a strong military potential of our country. The second is the development of the Polish economy. And it is the ports that are the foundation of these two issues, because they guarantee our economic development, ensure economic security, and on the other hand serve this energy and military security – said Arkadiusz Marchewka, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure for the Polish Maritime Economy.
The Port of Gdansk Authority presented awards to the main operators and managers of the Northern Port terminals. The awards in the shape of anchors were received by representatives of companies operating in the Northern Port: Paweł Jagła, President of the Management Board of Port Północny, Ewa Gawryś-Osińska, General Director and President of the Management Board of Gaspol, Andrzej Brzózka, President of the Management Board of Naftoport, and Lech Paszkowski, Port Development Director at Baltic Hub.