….WITH ISSUES RAISED

It is taking place, however, against the background of Poland’s main ports, Gdynia and Gdansk, implementing major expansion programmes with a number of analysts questioning the need for major new container capacity in Świnoujście.

There is another issue festering too. Located just five kilometres from the German border the project has been criticised by the German Green party. Furthermore, most of Świnoujście is located on an island, of which the largest part of the landmass belongs to Germany. Therefore, the Espoo Convention applies in this instance and it states that both Poland and Germany are obliged to complete environmental impact assessments and ensure cross-country consultation.

Despite this situation, Świnoujście is already the site of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, which opened in 2016 and is currently being expanded, so there is a precedent for port activities in place.

The geographic location of the new port development envisages a cargo catchment area serving western Poland and hinterland areas around Berlin traditionally served by German ports.