On Wednesday, 18 July this year, in the O4 conference centre in Olivia Business Centre, a scientific seminar was held organized by the Pomeranian Employers, which was attended by Cezary Gróbarczyk, Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation (MGMiŻŚ), Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Mieczysław Struk, business representatives, including the President of the Olivia Business Centre Maciej Grabski, representatives of local governments from the Pomeranian Voivodeship as well as representatives of Maritime University, Institute of Oceanology and Oceanography of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Gdańsk Maritime Institute.

The axis of the meeting was a debate on the financial benefits of navigating the Vistula, i.e. the development of its lower section, and experts, representatives of Pomeranian business and universities from Pomerania talked with the Minister of the Ministry. They emphasised the role of economic development of many regions in Poland, which would result from a change in the possibilities of navigation on this largest Polish river. The experts gathered at the seminar saw an opportunity for business development for carriers, business and the region. Assessing the scale of transport on the Vistula, they pointed to the possibility of delivering up to 15 million tonnes of cargo per year to the Tri-City ports. The current state of the Vistula It is not suitable for such full economic use because it is shallow and unregulated.

“The idea of restoring inland waterway transport on the Vistula River is not new, but we have to prepare documentation and a feasibility study from the beginning in order to obtain financing,” said Minister Marek Gróbarczyk during the seminar.

According to Minister Gróbarczyk, it is also important to designate places on the Vistula River where cargo would be transshipped, e.g. at the marinas in Zajączków Tczewski and Solec Kujawski, as well as to rebuild some locks and bridges so that ships with goods would pass without collisions.

The Vistula is dead, and it could be filled with container ships with goods, and the cost of transporting goods by water is even four times lower than that carried out by trucks, and also twice cheaper than by rail – pointed out the participants of the seminar representing institutions and scientific entities that work on navigating rivers.

Experts drew attention to the sources of financing for this investment on the Vistula River. The investments would be financed from several sources, in addition to the funds from the European Union, it would be m.in money. from the European Fund for Strategic Investments, as well as from energy companies that would build power plants on individual barrages. All participants of the meeting emphasized the importance of the topic of the seminar for the development of the economy of Polish and Pomerania and expressed hope that the recommended solutions will be used in the implementation of projects and implementations.