Poland is building the planned deep-water container terminal in Świnoujście without foreign partners and on a much larger scale. The “Cape Pomerania” project is set to become one of the most modern and environmentally friendly ports in the Baltic Sea.
A deep-water container terminal is to be built in Świnoujście, Poland. Originally, Belgian and Qatari companies were to realize the construction. A contract between Deme, QTerminals and the port authority ZMPSiŚ was signed in July 2023.
These plans have now been shelved. According to the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, the deep-water container terminal is to be built independently in future – significantly larger than originally planned and exclusively by Polish companies.
The plans include 186 hectares of new land, a quay wall almost 3 km long with a breakwater, an access channel and a harbor basin with a depth of 17 meters. The centerpiece of the “Cape Pomerania” (Przylądek Pomerania) project is a deep-water container terminal with a 1.3 km long quay and a handling capacity of 2 million TEU per year. It is considered one of the largest investment projects on the Baltic Sea.
Flawed concept, financing not secured
“We have drawn up a completely new concept for the development of the port in Świnoujście, as the previous one was flawed, had no secure financing and was delayed in its implementation,” said Arkadiusz Marchewka, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, responsible for the maritime economy.
“We will build Cape Pomerania – the most ambitious project in the 75-year history of the Szczecin-Świnoujście Port Authority and one of the most spectacular investments on the Baltic Sea. The deep-water container terminal will be the centerpiece, but not the only component of this major project. The largest container ships in the world will enter the port and secure revenue for Poland for decades to come. With this investment, we are strengthening the security of our country and Poland’s presence at sea,” says Marchewka.
“Cape Pomerania” is also being prepared for military use
Cape Pomerania is to become a transshipment hub serving international intercontinental traffic as well as the hinterland of Central Europe – including Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary.
The terminal is also being prepared for dual civil and military use, which should significantly increase the country’s logistical and defense capabilities. It is being built east of the LNG breakwater on newly reclaimed land in the Pomeranian Bay and will be designed to handle the largest container ships sailing on the Baltic Sea. At the same time, three ships will be able to be handled there: two with a length of 400 m and one with a length of 250 m.
The costs for the part of the project for which the port authority ZMPSiŚ is responsible amount to around 1.5 billion złoty (approx. €345 million). In addition, over 7 billion złoty (approx. €1.61 billion) has been earmarked in the national budget for the deepening of the 70 km long access channel, a new harbor basin and the landside infrastructure – road and rail connections.
Poland wants to position itself as a central hub for global supply chains
The new terminal is set to become the most environmentally friendly port on the Baltic Sea. Emission-free handling technologies and shore power systems will be used to significantly reduce noise and exhaust emissions.
New rail and road connections are being built on an area of over 47 hectares, including two access tracks with a length of more than 3 km and a dedicated rail siding in the terminal. A 2 km long road connection leads to the terminal. Water, sewage, IT and sanitary infrastructure as well as buildings for border protection, customs and health services will also be constructed.
The project has been included in the country’s most important strategic development programs – including the “Strategy for Sustainable Transport Development until 2030” and the “Program for the Development of Polish Seaports until 2030”.
The aim is to strengthen Poland’s position as a central hub of global supply chains and to create an alternative “western transport corridor” based on the infrastructure of the Szczecin-Świnoujście ports, the S3 expressway, the E-59 railroad line and the Oder waterway.
