Port of Gdansk and Halcrow Group ink agreement for development of Wisla River Waterway feasibility study
On 2 July, an agreement for the preparation of a feasibility study for the Wisla River Waterway was concluded in Gdansk. It was signed by representatives of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA: President Lukasz Greinke and Vice-President Macin Osowski, as well as Artur Mazurek, representing the contractor selected by tender, the British company Halcrow Group Limited. The event was also attended by Marek Grobarczyk, the Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation, the PGA said in a press release.
Minister Grobarczyk emphasised that the conclusion of the agreement is the next step on the way to ensuring navigability of the Wisla River.
"Opening Gdansk and the entire Tri-City is the opening of a new direction - connecting the Baltic Sea with the Black Sea. We can see how much remains to be done in order to put the last rivers in Europe with such huge potential into use," said the Minister. He also thanked the Port of Gdansk Authority for its engagement in the initiative.
He added that the process of ensuring the navigability of Polish rivers was taking place after careful consideration of all the environmental restrictions, and after considering the risks to the environment that it involves.
The feasibility study for the comprehensive development of the international waterways E-40 for the Wisla River between Gdansk and Warsaw, E-40 between Warsaw and the Polish-Belarusian border (Brest), and E-70 between the Wisla and the Wisla Lagoon (Elbląg) will consist of three stages, including the preparation of the necessary analyses and a survey of the current state, including the analysis of the location, primary stakeholders, legal environment, the area and source of funding, a survey of the condition of existing infrastructure, and the analysis of the needs and problems related to the implementation of the programme. The planned execution period of the agreement is 18 months.
This new policy towards the inland navigation sector has led to the development of inland waterways and the reactivation of the idea of the economic use of rivers, while preserving their natural features, which is reflected in the strategic plans and projects. Following the provisions of the Water Law Act, the Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation began work on preparing feasibility studies for the main waterways in Poland, including the Wisla River Waterway - the entire Polish section of the E-40 international waterway. When it comes to the E-40 waterway, the Ministry is working in cooperation with the Port of Gdansk Authority.