Port of Szczecin-Swinoujscie sums up 2024

The development of the Off-shore Wind sector, investments in Szczecin and Swinoujscie, EU grants, changes, opening up to the prospect of green growth – these are the highlights recorded by the authorities of the Szczecin and Swinoujscie Sea Ports Authority S.A. in 2024.

At the end of last year, the transhipment result stopped at 32,305.8 million tonnes. This is 8.5 per cent less than the previous year.

– We look at this result with optimism, because in the second half of last year we managed to overcome the downward trend that had been going on since the end of 2022, says Jarosław Siergiej, President of the Management Board of the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports S.A.

The last quarter of 2022, the whole of 2023 and the first half of 2024 were characterised by declines in transshipments resulting from the end of coal imports from almost the whole world due to the embargo on supplies of this raw material from Russia. The transit of Ukrainian goods to Polish seaports also ceased in 2023, reports ZMPSiŚ.

Eventually, the downward trend was halted in the middle of last year to clearly improve results. Alongside the increasingly optimistic results, changes are taking place at the Port all the time to keep up with the changing market and meet new demands, the release emphasised.

‘Off-shore valley’

The investments of Vestas (development of education profiled in this direction, etc.) and the agreement signed in January 2024 with the Spanish company Windar were recalled.

The investor will build on Ostrow Grabowski a factory for structural elements of offshore wind farms, such as towers, masts, foundations of wind turbines, reports ZMPSiŚ.

At the end of 2024, the first phase of an important project carried out in Świnoujście was completed: ‘Building the handling capacity of the Świnoujście seaport to serve the needs of offshore wind energy’.

The project included the construction of three new quays, for which we obtained an occupancy permit with a final clause on 24 December 2024. The first two comprise almost half a kilometre of wharves ready for use, while the third was prepared as the starting point for stage 2 of the investment. This is because already in January, as was the case previously for phase 1, we are applying for CEF2 funding for the continuation of the project, which, through the construction of two more heavy quays together with a ro-ro ramp, will enable the simultaneous and collision-free implementation of two offshore wind farm projects simultaneously. The resulting port infrastructure will accelerate the energy transition of Poland and the other EU Member States in the Baltic Sea region,’ emphasises ZMPSiŚ.

In addition, in February last year, Szczecin and Świnoujście Port Authority S.A. joined the prestigious Offshore Wind Port Alliance, which comprises ports from Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France and Germany, and, as of 2 February, also the Ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście. The alliance aims to optimise the use of offshore wind energy to meet Europe’s very ambitious targets in this area.

Deepwater Container Terminal in Świnoujście

ZMPSiŚ S.A.’s flagship investment is being built in Świnoujście, to the east of the LNG terminal. We are talking about the most modern container terminal on the Baltic Sea.

The year 2024 was marked by the conclusion of agreements, the obtaining of required documents and the extensive preparation of this strategic investment for the region and Poland. The project entitled ‘Construction of offshore and onshore access to a deepwater container terminal in the external port of Świnoujście’, received a location decision for the investment issued by the Zachodniopomorskie Voivode in April last year.

– An environmental decision is expected in January 2025, which is under appeal, the company reports.

Regardless of the official decisions, the board has engaged in a dialogue with the Świnoujście local community.

– Meetings were held with residents and councillors of the city and the Warszów district, where the investment is to be built, it was emphasised.

As part of the preparatory work, which is still ongoing, since September work has been carried out on magnetic scans of the areas for the construction of the terminal: the seabed in the area of the outer harbour, the area for the construction of the breakwater and the turning circle, as well as the land side – the area of the access road, the railway and the car park.

12.5 m – Szczecin open to the largest ships

In the past year, the Szczecin Port continued with long-term projects, viz: ‘Improving access to the Port in the area of the Kaszubski Basin’ and “Improving access to the Port in the area of the Debicki Canal”.

The projects are co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund under the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme and will be completed by mid-2025. They serve to adapt the port area to a technical depth of 12.5m – this, together with the deepened waterway from Swinoujscie to Szczecin, means that the Port of Szczecin can handle the largest ocean-going vessels.

In 2024, modernised quays became operational in the Port of Szczecin, e.g. the Dabrowa Quay, with modern infrastructure for the safe handling of sulphuric acid (Kashubian Basin), and newly built quays, such as the Norwegian Quay, located in the basin of the Debicki Canal.

It is thanks to this investment that the already-mentioned Windar factory can be built on the Ostrów Grabowski peninsula, and it was also possible to sign an agreement in December for the lease of a plot of land at Norwegian Quay with the Tricity consortium TRIDENTE. A multipurpose transhipment terminal will be built there, as well as a modern cement plant based on the latest technologies and ecological solutions, ZMPSiŚ points out.

Expansion of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście

The expansion of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście, which has been underway for several years, had its happy ending last year. On 29 February – the Certificate of Acceptance for the investment carried out by ZMPSiŚ S.A. was issued. – a new berth with unloading and loading functions for liquefied gas in the external port of Świnoujście was constructed.

The work carried out by the terminal operator, the GAZ-SYSTEM company, was completed in November, thanks to which, at the end of November, the first gas carrier arrived at the new berth. Thanks to this investment, Poland has gained the possibility not only to receive but also to export liquefied gas, which significantly increases the competitiveness of the terminal and strengthens the international position of Poland, as well as to refuel bunkers supplying LNG-powered ships.

Ferrying Świnoujście

Work to adapt the infrastructure of the Świnoujście Ferry Terminal to handle intermodal transport has been completed.

Thanks to the investment, it is now possible to operate ferries up to 270 m in length and handle intermodal units, the quays have been modernised and significantly lengthened, the necessary technical infrastructure and manoeuvring yards have been created, and appropriate road and rail access has been provided. The project was implemented under the CEF 2014-2020 instrument and it was thanks to this that the wagons returned to the Baltic Sea after a gap of years, reports ZMPSiŚ.

The first – pilot – transhipment of intermodal semi-trailers took place at the Swinoujscie Ferry Terminal on 8 December, with Freightliner PL in charge.

In addition, a new ferry connection from Świnoujście to Sweden started on 10 April – Finnlines runs to Malmo. The company also notes the entry of a new PŻB ferry on the line: the Varsovia, which started regular services at the end of July 2024.

New grants and subsidies

On 8 May, ZMPSiŚ signed a grant agreement for the project entitled ‘Construction of a multimodal rail transhipment hub on the Ostrów Grabowski peninsula in the Port of Szczecin’.

This is a pioneering project that will have a ‘dual use’ – civil and military use. The project is being implemented under a grant from the CEF2 Military Mobility instrument for 2021-2027.

On 9 October, in turn, a grant agreement was signed for the funding of the project ‘Development of port infrastructure for the reception of waste from ships in the Świnoujście seaport’.

The project will improve the accessibility and increase the safety of waste reception from ships in the Świnoujście port.

This is an investment in the development of a sustainable and intelligent port infrastructure,’ emphasised President Jarosław Siergiej, when receiving the grant from representatives of the European Commission.

The modern waste reception point also means protecting the marine environment from the negative effects of waste discharged by ships into the sea. The project received support from the CEF Facility 2021-2027.

On 25 October, in turn, the OMPSiŚ received confirmation of a grant under the Interreg South Baltic programme for a research project on the decarbonisation of the maritime sector and its impact on the transition towards green energy.

The awarded grant will enable the development of study documents relevant to the further development of the port in 2025 and 2026, covering the transformation of the main areas of the port’s operations to low- and zero-carbon.

Source: PortalMorski.pl