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Polish delegation in Singapore to promote ‘Baltic Gateway’ status

Port of Gdansk
Port of Gdansk
A Polish trade delegation, led by the Port of Gdansk, is in Singapore this week to foster more bilateral trade and celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Organised with the Singapore-based ports group PSA International, the Port of Gdansk’s ceo, Lukasz Greinke, will set out the business case for Asian shipping lines to use Gdansk as a logistics gateway to reach the 120 million consumers in the Baltic region. The move comes just a few months after the May acquisition by PSA International of DCT Gdansk, Poland’s largest container terminal.

At seminars on 19 October – ‘Singapore Maritime and Business Mixer’ – the two country’s Governments and a series of Polish business leaders will outline opportunities for closer collaboration in sectors including shipping, logistics, aviation, construction, pharmaceutical, chemical and technology. A key message from the Port of Gdansk’s ceo will be the major investment opportunities available in the port, which notably include a public-private partnership to invest EUR2.8bn in the Central Port billed as ‘the biggest maritime investment project in Europe’.

Speaking in advance of the Polish visit, Greinke commented: “Gdansk is the fastest-growing port in Europe, growing by 20% in 2018 and 9% already this year and we are on target to exceed 52 million tonnes of cargo. We are the only port on the Baltic capable of receiving direct calls from Asia, including the biggest ships in the world.

“We have the fastest and most cost-effective hinterland connectivity with Eastern Europe – notably to Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Belarus and Ukraine. We have unrestricted sea access throughout the year and we are proving our reliability as a trading partner with major shipping lines in Asia.

“As a country and port, we have big plans for further expansion and are looking for the right partners,” Greinke continued. “It is fantastic to see one of Singapore’s biggest maritime companies in PSA International invest in Gdansk and Poland. We want to be able to build on this and raise awareness of Poland’s economic renaissance and build trade ties with Singapore.”

Services currently calling in Gdansk include those operated by Ocean Alliance and 2M. Shortsea connections to Scandinavia and the UK offer a regional network operated by lines including Maersk, MSC, CMA, Cosco Shipping and others. Poland is now Europe’s seventh largest economy.