The Port of Gdansk connects Poland and Singapore

The Port of Gdansk says it has become the initiator and organiser of the Singapore Maritime & Business Mixer forum. Leading representatives of the maritime industry from both countries met in Singapore on 29 October. This was the first such initiative, connecting two of the world's most rapidly developing economies. At the same time, the event celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The event attracted more than 250 guests connected with the local business, searching for new business contacts and investment opportunities. The Polish delegation was led by Marek Grobarczyk, Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation. On the Singapore side, the Polish guests were met by Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. The Port of Gdansk was represented by Lukasz Greinke, President of the Board.

As he emphasised, the aim of the Port of Gdansk was to highlight its position as a "gateway to the Baltic Sea" for Singaporean and Asian logistics companies providing access to 120 million consumers.

"The Port of Gdansk is the most rapidly developing port in Europe. In 2018, the transshipment volume increased by 20%, this year so far by as much as 9%, and our goal is to handle more than 52 million tonnes," said Lukasz Greinke. "This increase is the result of the perfect understanding of our city's strengths. We are the only regular Baltic port of call for ships from Asia, also the world's largest vessels - including the largest container ship in the world, MSC Gulsun. We provide the best and the most cost-effective link to Eastern Europe - primarily Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Belarus, and Ukraine".

This potential, along with the opportunities offered by over a dozen other Polish companies, was presented by the Polish delegation during the conference inaugurating the entire event. During the event, the Port of Gdansk introduced the largest investment project in the European port industry. The Central Port assumes expansion of the current port infrastructure and adding more than 19 km of operational quays, 9 new terminals, and 8.5 km of breakwaters. Ultimately, the investment is intended to bring an increase in transshipments at the Port up to 100 million tonnes annually within 10 years. Thus, the Port of Gdansk has the chance to become not only the largest port, but also the most prosperous logistics centre in Eastern Europe.

The event was accompanied by a visit to the terminal of PSA International, which has its headquarters in Singapore. In May earlier this year, PSA purchased the DCT Gdansk terminal, the largest container terminal in Poland, in cooperation with the Polish Development Fund and the IFM Global Infrastructure Fund.

In order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and Singapore, a ship's bell was unveiled on 29 October. A copy of the ship's bell from the "Dar Mlodziezy" vessel - which visited Singapore earlier as part of its global Independence Cruise - was cast especially for this occasion.