Perspectives for containers and ro-ro market discussed in Berlin
The Baltic Ports Organization says it took part in the Mid-term Conference of the South Baltic Transport Loops project, held on January 21st, 2020, in Berlin, Germany.
The event focused on the future of container transport, as well as the perspectives for the ferry and RoRo industry in the South Baltic Sea region. These tied in directly into the main objectives of the project, namely the development and implementation of new regular shipping links for container, bulk and general cargo, as well as strengthening of ferry links.
The shipping links in question are not meant to be restricted to connections betweenproject partners. They may be implemented between a partner port and any other port inside and outside the Baltic Sea.
Strengthening of the existing ferry links on the other hand, means the introductions of new products or higher frequencies in order to increase passenger and cargo transport figures, as well as the market share of these ferry connections.
Bogdan Oldakowski, Secretary General, BPO, offered a short comment after attending the panel on ro-ro and ferry sector, “Ro-ro and ferry markets have been growing in the Baltic region over the last year. The market may slow down slightly due to the lower economic growth and trade volumes but long term forecast remains rather positive. A number of Baltic ports are investing heavily in new ro-ro and ferry facilities in order to meet future demand and accommodate larger vessels that have been already ordered by the main shipping lines.”
Total budget of the SB Transport Loops project amounts to approx. €1.4m. It started in April 2018 and is set to be concluded at the end of March 2021. Three of BPO’s Member ports are involved in the project – Mukran Port, as the lead partner, as well as the Ports of Karlshamn and Roenne. The Polish Port of Elblag and the Klaipeda Shipping Research Centre round up the partner list.
