Gdynia, thanks to its location, has played a key role in the Polish transport sector for years. It is therefore not surprising that the issue of the tender for the lease of the Grain Terminal has recently become an extremely hot topic. Experts emphasize that a well-functioning grain terminal will not only raise the city’s profile as a strategic logistics hub in the region, but above all will bring tangible benefits to farmers who, in the face of a constant increase in grain production in the country, as well as the inflow of goods from neighboring countries, will gain better access to export markets around the world.
At the end of 2023, the Port of Gdynia Authority selected the winner of the tender for the lease and development of the Gdynia Grain Terminal (former Baltic Grain Terminal). Of the four submitted offers, the Tender Committee considered the most advantageous proposal of the consortium, which includes Szczecin Bulk Terminal (SBT), operated by Copenhagen Merchants, Tapini and Ribera, related to Viterra. However, already in March this year. There were voices about the cancellation of the lease by the Ministry of Infrastructure, which once again caused anxiety in the industry and the suspension of investment in the terminal.
“Poland needs a large specialized agro terminal that will be able to cope with the grain surplus and growing export needs in the country. Without specialized infrastructure, it is impossible to talk about the full and long-term realization of Poland’s export potential. Grain ports are an important element in the effective and competitive transportation of products from Polish fields and neighboring countries to markets around the world.” – comments Adam Turoń, member of the Management Board of Viterra Polska.
Therefore, it is extremely important that the entity that will lease the terminal is obliged to modernize the current infrastructure, which is necessary to increase the reloading capacity in the port. This will be possible, among other things, thanks to improvements in the collection of railway wagons. Today, grain is transported to the port mainly by road.
The consortium that won the last open tender, in addition to improving infrastructure and truck handling capacity, plans to significantly increase the role of railways as a faster, cheaper and more environmentally friendly means of transport. As a result, two lines of railway unloading hoppers for grain with a much higher capacity will be built, as well as a railway loading hopper for meal operating at a level of several hundred tons per hour. Additionally, the currently expanded railway infrastructure around and to the Port of Gdynia will be used, which will ensure efficient access to the sea for trains with heavier loads.
“In the future, we want 30% or more of the goods to arrive at the port by rail. We estimate that, combined with investments in infrastructure for faster unloading of trucks and equipment for loading ships, this will reduce the number of trucks entering the city and shorten the waiting time for unloading by up to several hours per day per vehicle. This will translate into increased productivity, but will also help farmers maintain favorable grain prices thanks to lower transport costs.” – Adam Turoń convinces.
The consortium representatives assume that as a result of the modernizations, the Grain Terminal will tranship agricultural goods with a capacity of up to 30,000 tons per day, which may generate an annual turnover of 2-4 million tons. This will thus increase the capacity and efficiency of the Polish port and maintain valuable jobs in the region.
“Thanks to our investments, a significant volume of goods in the region can pass through the Gdynia terminal, which will ultimately make Poland, and above all the city of Gdynia, the center of trade and export on the Baltic Sea. This will translate into direct benefits for Polish farmers, enabling them and other companies to have greater access to the export of their products. Moreover, as we declared, we are ready to retain all our employees and partners, ensuring them employment stability and developing their competences in the industry, contributing to the further economic growth of the region. – sums up Turoń.
The plans will not end with improvements in the area of transport and reloading. The company also intends to invest in green technologies, including technical solutions that reduce electricity consumption and reduce dust generated in the transport process from the road to the sea.
For over 10 years, the Polish grain sector has been growing and consistently proving that this type of investment is invariably needed. It is therefore not surprising that the effective implementation of this project has become not only a priority for the domestic industry, but also a key element in building Poland’s position on the European grain market. One thing is certain – Poland cannot afford to wait another year without any prospects for an effective grain terminal.
