The authorities of the Polish port of Gdynia have decided to cancel the tender procedure for the operation of the grain and container terminal. There were fears that the Polish port infrastructure would end up too much in foreign (Russian, Chinese or Dutch) hands. The tender for a new grain transshipment in Gdansk has also been canceled.
Last November, shortly before the Polish parliamentary elections, the renovation, expansion and operation of a new transhipment terminal in the Baltic Sea port of Gdynia was awarded to an international consortium for thirty years. This also includes the Szczecin Bulk Terminal (SBT), together with the consultancy firms Tapini and Ribera. Those two agencies are related to Rotterdam-based Viterra.
The latter group is among the top ten in the global trade in raw materials and food products, and has its own bulk carriers, tankers, ports, transport and 'own' logistics in several dozen countries. This would largely place grain transhipment in Gdynia in the hands of an international group that is also closely involved in the trade in Russian grain, one of the major competitors of Ukrainian and European agricultural products.
According to the Polish Viterra management, Polish grain exports already have a major shortage of transport facilities for their own Polish grain, partly under pressure from the demand for transhipment for the export of Ukrainian grain.
However, as early as March of this year, voices were raised in the new pro-European Polish government about terminating the contract. It was pointed out that the national Polish food industry should participate in the tender. It was also said that transferring control of the strategic port to companies involved in global commodity and grain trade (Viterra group) is not in line with Polish state interests.
The Gdansk Port Authority announced in January a tender aimed at finding a tenant for an area of almost 24 hectares, most of which would be used for grain handling. The tender for the new Europort in Gdańsk has been announced four times, each time ending in cancellation without giving a specific reason.
The strategic importance of container and grain transshipment in Gdynia, just a stone's throw from crucial NATO military facilities, is also closely monitored in Brussels. The port is also used for the supply of American and European military transports to the Baltic Sea countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Partly due to the Russian war to the west, in recent years NATO and the EU have paid more attention to strengthening European autonomy in the field of energy and food security, and to strengthening the international position.