POLAND: BIG IS BEAUTIFUL

BCT, acquired by International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) in May 2003 under a government port privatisation initiative, handled 304,705TEU in 2003, a 23% increase over the previous year’s volume of 247,907TEU. Traffic this year is also on track for a further increase with Jan Mors, Executive Vice President, BCT, reporting that, “There is every indication that traffic will continue to grow at a strong rate over the course of the year and beyond.”

In anticipation of this latter trend, Mors also reports a major investment programme for BCT designed to meet all the country’s maritime container throughput requirements over the short to long-term and entailing new investments in the order of US$100m. “Our goal, ” explains Mors, “is to more than double existing throughput to over the one million TEU mark through new equipment acquisition, the application of enhanced software systems and extensive training in the workforce. To-date, we have placed orders for a new Panamax dimension ship-toshore gantry, four one-over-five stacking rubber-tyred gantries, eight terminal tractors and new terminal trailers. We have also signed a contract to raise the height of eight of the existing rubber-tyred gantry fleet from a one over three to a one over five configuration and this work will take place within the same timeframe as for the stage one new equipment acquisitions. Further new equipment is planned in subsequent phases.”

The installation of specialised new container terminal software, from Container Terminal Systems Solutions Inc, an ICTSI group company that meets this requirement on a broad basis, is also well underway as are various other human resource initiatives all of which tie into the overall major capacity expansion initiative.

Further, Thomas E. Falknor, Senior Vice President ICTSI and President of BCT, reports that BCT has just concluded with the Port Authority of Gdynia a long range infrastructure expansion programme that will include both additional quay and container yard area; a move that effectively guarantees BCT’s ability to easily meet customer requirements over the long-term.

Meanwhile, the fledgling scheme for a new container terminal in nearby Gdansk is still being hotly talked up by its UK-based developer but still without any news of serious financial backing. Indeed, while the project is clearly being strongly marketed rumours abound in the marketplace that support for it is not forthcoming from various sources of finance and from central government in Poland. Equally, there is scepticism over some of the ideas underpinning the Gdansk project – big ships, direct services and the development of a big hub concept. Such ideas are felt by many analysts to be inappropriate in what amounts to a regional marketplace.