Poland's approach to EU environmental guidelines is less restrictive, which is why the expansion of the port in Świnoujście can take place much faster – believe representatives of the Central Association of German Seaport Operators. They call on the Polish side to comply with EU regulations. The case is reported on Wednesday, January 22, in the newspaper “Ostsee Zeitung”.
The daily reminds that the citizens' initiative “Lebensraum Vorpommern”, supported by the Heringsdorf commune, does not agree to the construction of a container port in Świnoujście. In their opinion, the impact of the new port on the German part of the island of Usedom was not taken into account when assessing the environmental impact. “Now the protest is also growing 150 kilometers away: The rapid and controversial expansion of the port in Świnoujście also worries those responsible in the largest German port on the Baltic Sea,” we read.
Less concern for the environment?
The newspaper quotes the head of the Euroports transhipment company in Rostock, Karsten Lentz. He admits that both ports are fighting for customers on the same markets. According to Lentz, “Polish investors take environmental issues less seriously when expanding the port.”
In fact, construction works on the construction of a container terminal on Wolin Island have not started yet, although a number of contracts have already been signed to prepare the area for the investment. “Ostsee Zeitung” cites the recently opened intermodal ferry terminal in Świnoujście as an example of another investment in the port of Świnoujście that may threaten the competitiveness of the port in Rostock. Thanks to it, containers can now be reloaded from trucks to trains and vice versa.
“Different standards”
The newspaper reminds that such a terminal is also located in Rostock. Gernot Tesch, president of Rostock Port, quoted by the daily, admits that road tolls for trucks in Poland are much lower. However, the completion of the S3 expressway on the Polish side will make the port of Świnoujście much more accessible from central Germany. All this may reduce Rostock's competitiveness.
“We have nothing against fair competition, but if different standards apply in Poland than here, for example in the field of environmental protection, it is a problem,” Jens Scharner, head of the port operator Rostock Port, tells the newspaper. “Ostsee Zeitung” explains that the expansion of the port in Rostock, which has been demanded for years, has failed precisely because of high environmental protection obstacles.
According to the newspaper, recently the mayor of Rostock, Eva-Maria Kröger, called on the governments of Germany and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to act. The Prime Minister of the state, Manuela Schwesig, has already declared her support for accelerating port investments.