Foundation stone for the construction of the Public Ferry Terminal in the Port of Gdynia

On Wednesday, the cornerstone for the construction of the Public Ferry Terminal in the Port of Gdynia was laid in Gdynia. The cornerstone has the shape of an anchor of one of the most famous Polish transatlantic liners MS Piłsudski.

In the moments when history is created before our eyes, symbols, especially those that directly determine our identity, are of particular importance. During the ceremony of laying the foundation stone for the construction of the Public Ferry Terminal in the Port of Gdynia, the Port of Gdynia Authority together with invited guests reminded about one of the most famous Polish transatlantic liners MS Piłsudski.

The concept of the cornerstone

In the form of an anchor – a replica of the one that was on the side of MS Piłsudski – reminds us that the construction of the Port of Gdynia and the development of maritime trade were among the strategic goals of the reborn Second Polish Republic. The symbol also became the badge of the First Piłsudski Brigade, which was located on the bow of the transatlantic ship and immortalized on the cornerstone. It contained the foundation act, today’s edition of the daily press, a collector’s five-zloty coin issued by the National Bank of Poland on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Poland’s regaining its independence, and an electronic memory medium with the Port Gdynia exhibition – the flagship investment of independent Poland by the artist Tadeusz Urbaniak.

One of the showpieces of those times was the Maritime Station at the French Quay, to which the flagship ship of the Polish passenger fleet moored – a symbol of modernity, vision and courage. In the area of passenger traffic, the construction of a public ferry terminal in Gdynia is the first such a large investment since then, constituting another milestone in the development of the city and the country.

The investment

Will contribute to the acceptance of more ferries and will facilitate the manoeuvring of ferries with a length of 240 metres. The time associated with the ship’s arrival at the port will be shortened (the time counted from the start of mooring to the departure of the ship from the port will not exceed 120 minutes).

The new location of the terminal

Near the Marshal Piłsudski’s Basin – will ensure connection with the most important local and national roads, which are an important element of the international trade transport corridor. The location of the terminal also brings benefits in terms of shorter navigation times for vessels in the port. Saving time and improving transport accessibility are important aspects of the logistics chain and will ultimately contribute to the competitiveness of the port.

– Both the port and the City of Gdynia will benefit from the new terminal. A greater number of ferries, and thus passengers, is primarily the development of local tourism and related industries. The opportunities created by our investment are directly related to increased income for us as a company and for the state budget. We want to further develop the idea of the Motorway of the Sea Poland-Scandinavia within the TEN-T corridor – comments Adam Meller, President of ZMPG SA.

The construction of the Public Ferry Terminal is the largest investment in nearly 50 years in the port of Gdynia.

The works include, among others, the construction of a ferry terminal with a cubic capacity of 30,000 m3 and a warehouse with a capacity of 7,000 m3, reconstruction of quays with a length of about 600 meters, as well as the construction of squares and parking lots with a total area of 65,000 m2 . In addition, DORACO will provide a railway connection between the wharves, reconstruction of existing road systems and other infrastructural works. The project is planned to use nearly 2,000 tonnes of steel and 20,000 tonnes of concrete.

– Work on the construction of the terminal is progressing according to the schedule – says Karol Zduńczyk, President of the Management Board of DORACO. – Currently, we have reached the ceiling level above the ground floor of the terminal building, previously the facility had been placed on piles – for this purpose we used 182 piles with a total length of more than 2000 running meters. In the same way, we prepared the ground for the foundations of the warehouse building. At the same time, sanitary, electrical and teletechnical networks are being implemented on the site, as well as the laying of the first railway tracks. Hydraulic engineering works are also underway, including the concreting of steel pipes. In the near future, we are going to install ties and backfill the platform for the ro-ro ramp.

The completion of the works is planned for 2021, and the value of the investment is about 290 million PLN, of which the subsidy from the European Union funds amounts to 116 837 137.67 PLN.

Rel (Port Gdynia SA)