Świnoujście (Swinemünde) port expansion project Przylądek Pomerania, Digi Mart USA News (Swinemünde, Poland): The Maritime Office in Szczecin and the Szczecin–Świnoujście port company launched a tender on Tuesday for the seaward portion of the Przylądek Pomerania project. The estimated value of the contract is 2.5 billion złoty (565 million euros).
The planned works include an artificial peninsula of about 186 hectares, breakwaters and a new harbor basin. The project lies near the German border and marks another important procedural step for the development.
A contractor will be sought to both design and build the facilities. Award is to follow a multi-stage selection process involving a competitive dialogue, and contract signing is planned for the third quarter of 2027.
The tender covers the seaward construction phase, and the 2.5 billion złoty figure is its estimated contract value.
On the German side of Usedom, the project has faced opposition for years. The municipality of Heringsdorf and the citizens’ initiative “Lebensraum Vorpommern” criticize in particular the examination of cross-border effects.
They fear impacts on the sensitive Baltic habitats and disadvantages for tourism.
According to an NDR report from October, the initiative argues that effects on the environment and tourism have not been sufficiently examined. Concerns cited include possible damage to protected marine biotopes and effects on groundwater on Usedom and Wollin.
These are fears raised by opponents, not established consequences of the port construction.
A central point of dispute is the separate assessment of different parts of the project. Initiative spokesman Rainer Sauerwein criticizes, as reported by NDR, that the port and its new approach channel of roughly 70 kilometers are not being studied together for environmental impacts.
The fairway is being reviewed in a separate procedure.
Opponents recently suffered a legal setback. In late September, the citizens’ initiative, supported by the municipality of Heringsdorf, failed before Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court in its challenge to the environmental permit for the original port plan.
The group said it would examine further legal steps. The expanded plans are distinct from that dispute.
A further cross-border environmental review was held for changes to the seaward project. The documents were publicly available in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania from September 16 to October 22.
The changes include a modified design of the protective breakwater and deepening of the harbor basins, turning basin and access channel to 17 meters.
Hannah Neumann, a Green member of the European Parliament, is also calling for a comprehensive review. Together with other lawmakers, she has asked the European Commission whether the earlier assessment of the container port still holds given the expansion.
She also demands that the combined burdens of port construction and other planned industrial projects off the coast be considered together.
The Polish government, by contrast, emphasizes economic opportunities. The new terminal is intended to handle up to two million standard container units per year in the long term and to accommodate the largest container ships entering the Baltic Sea.
Infrastructure Undersecretary of State Arkadiusz Marchewka sees it as a strengthening of Polish ports in competition with Western Europe.
According to the Maritime Office, about 20 million cubic meters of material must be dredged for construction. Suitable excavated material is to be used to raise the new port areas.
In total, about three kilometers of quay facilities are planned. Świnoujście is expected to serve direct overseas connections and become a more significant transshipment hub.
With the tender now launched, the search begins for the company to carry out these plans.
Disclosure: Research for this report was financially supported by a fellowship from the Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation. Editorial responsibility lies with the author.
