Port of Koper an opportunity for intermodal transport on Scandinavia-Poland-Africa line
Representatives of the Polish logistics industry are interested in expanding cooperation with the Port of Koper. As logisticians point out, customers sometimes ask about the Port of Koper and the possible use of this Slovenian infrastructure for the export and import of their goods.
Cooperation of the Polish transport and logistics segment with the Port of Koper is already in place. This concerns both road and intermodal transport with the use of rail transport. “We work with the Port of Koper daily. This is a very fruitful cooperation, that’s why we are present at this conference. We also want to better understand the port and its aspects,” said Wojciech Łojewski, Member of the Board at Balticon S.A., during the Logistics Business Days in Port of Koper conference.
During the same debate, Michał Wrzoskiewicz, Business Development Manager at CLIP Intermodal, informed that they are currently running two to three trains a week on the Baltic-Adriatic corridor. The potential is greater, and in the background, the diversification of distribution points or import of goods occurs to ensure timely deliveries. “Our customers requested us for alternative solutions. This is a matter of business stability. We should have security measures because the war in Ukraine has caused some terminals to record a 200 per cent increase in transhipped goods,” said Przemysław Hołowacz, development director of the CSL Group.
Port cooperation
The Port of Szczecin is also interested in cooperation with the Port of Koper. This raises the issue of launching intermodal trains to handle cargo to and from Scandinavia. “The Port in Szczecin is a natural gateway to trade with Scandinavia. This road runs all the way to Koper. This is a great place to talk about intermodal transport. I’m talking about containers and trucks,” said Rafał Zahorski, plenipotentiary for port development at the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority.
“Polish ports are well connected to Scandinavia. (…) My dream is to complete this corridor in Africa, and the Adriatic ports are very well connected with Northern Africa. It is possible that Polish producers would be able to send their products to Africa. These volumes play a very important role,” noted Przemysław Hołowacz, development director of the CSL Group.
As stated by a representative of CLIP, intermodal trains between the Adriatic and Baltic ports are a good solution. “It would be a good and sustainable alternative to receive goods in Baltic ports and transport them to the Port of Koper. CLIP has the appropriate assets to transport such cargo. We can organise door-to-door transport. We can start tomorrow,” said Michał Wrzoskiewicz, Business Development Manager at CLIP Intermodal.
Infrastructure problems
However, there are certain obstacles to the development of intermodal transport using rail. “Any modernisation of rail infrastructure for passengers discourages freight trains. More passengers mean slower cargo. But there are a few things that make intermodal transport better. We must cooperate to make this corridor more effective. We, as the Port of Świnoujście and Szczecin, have a great connection with rivers. However, there is one thing we must consider. When the war in Ukraine ends, we will have billions of goods in the ports that will rebuild Ukraine. These goods will block our ports and our roads. We need to think about this,” said Zahorski, noting that we should prepare the infrastructure for the inflow of a huge volume of goods.
During the conference, IT solutions used in the management of ports and transhipment terminals were also discussed. This raises the issue of investing in new transhipment infrastructure, which is not necessarily needed when certain logistics processes can be improved.
“We need to think about why we want to purchase more resources, such as new cranes. Our customers often say that they are handling more trucks or trains, so such investments are necessary in their opinion. Our company provides services, in which we examine the parameters of each vehicle at the terminal and check how much work employees have to do,” said Mateusz Kalinowski, President of the Board at Meritus Systemy Informatyczne.
The need for a systemic implementation of information exchange between companies for improving transport performance was also pointed out. “When we can determine that the train has a breakdown we will know about it much earlier. Then we will be able to use it and implement certain actions. Many companies are afraid of this technology. They prefer to operate in the traditional way as before. I believe that in the future, companies will have to change this approach and move away from traditional forms of business,” said Mateusz Kalinowski, President of the Board at Meritus Systemy Informatyczne.
According to Mateusz Kalinowski, transport and logistics require the use of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence allows you to analyse thousands of parameters. We can predict what will happen at the terminal a few minutes in advance. It is unrealistic for a human to analyse such an amount of data in a short time, added Kalinowski.