In difficult times, the logistics industry shows great flexibility, believe the participants of INTERMODAL IN POLAND NORTH – SOUTH
The logistics industry in Poland and Europe is adapting to the new economic and geopolitical situation after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Prioritization of coal transport on the railway, bottlenecks in logistics chains and competition from carriers from Ukraine and other eastern European countries turned out to be new challenges, according to the debate held during the INTERMODAL IN POLAND NORTH – SOUTH conference in Szczecin.
Polish seaports in Szczecin and Świnoujście are currently implementing large investments, including deepening of the fairway, expansion of the ferry terminal and modernization of quays. At the same time, the Polish infrastructure manager PKP PLK is modernizing the Szczecin-Poznań and Szczecin-Wrocław railway lines, which are part of the Baltic-Adriatic transport corridor. These investments will be an impulse for the development of the logistics industry in north-western Poland. The prospects for the development of this line of the north-south corridor were discussed by the participants of the conference, which took place on November 31 – December 1.
“As the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority, we have set ourselves the goal of developing intermodal transport. In recent years, we had an increase in general cargo handling, but since the outbreak of the war, the share of coal handling has been increasing again. In the coming years, however, we anticipate an increase in general cargo handling, including container handling. This will be possible thanks to the currently implemented investments, such as the expansion of the wharf in Ostrów Grabowski, including the container terminal located there, and the modernization of the ferry terminal, which will be adapted to handle intermodal transshipments – assured Aneta Szreder-Piernicka, Commercial Director, Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority.
The war in Ukraine brought new challenges for the logistics industry in Poland and Europe. One big problem is the lack of drivers, because employees from Ukraine left European Union to defend their country. In addition, Ukraine’s foreign trade was directed through European ports. During the INTERMODAL IN POLAND NORTH – SOUTH conference, representatives of the logisticss industry debated how to respond to new challenges. The importance of business cooperation with the state administration in the areas of border crossings was especially emphasized.
In addition to debates and lectures, the conference program also included a visit to the premises of the Port of Szczecin. Participants of the event could see with their own eyes how large the scope of investments in the port infrastructure is and what are the investment opportunities in these areas. The conference met with great interest and the organizers: the editorial office of IntermodalNews.pl and the CSL company announced the next editions of this event in the coming years.