Warsaw, 29 July (Argus) — A joint venture of Belgium-based port operator Sea Invest and steel giant Arcelor Mittal is planning to build a new import terminal in the Polish port of Gdansk.

The new facility will be mainly used for imports of coal and iron ore as investors expect Poland to increasingly rely on imported raw materials.

The joint-venture — which acquired Gdansk port operator Port Polnocny in 2008 — is planning to invest up to €50mn ($65mn) in the new terminal, which is expected to become operational in 2012, according to Sea Invest director of Polish operations Ludo De Nijs. “Poland will need a new stream of coal imports as its own mines become less competitive,” De Nijs said.

The facility will be located next to an existing export coal terminal operated by Port Polnocny. Activity at the export terminal — which has the capacity to load 9mn t/yr — is falling in line with lower Polish coal exports.

The new import terminal will have the capacity to import 10mn t/yr and the ability to accept vessels of up to 15m draught and 130,000t. “We are seeking to increase our ability to import coal,” Port Polnocny president Jacek Klimczak said.

Gdansk already handles coal imports, but import facilities located in the inner port are outdated and unable to accept vessels of over 40,000t. The new import terminal, which will be located in the outer port, will be able to accept larger vessels and so cut importing costs, Port Polnocny said.

Sea Invest said it hopes that the Gdansk terminal will also be used to import coal to other central European countries, owing to a good railway connection. “We intend to make Gdansk a base for our Baltic operations,” De Nijs said.

Sea Invest has an 85pc stake in the joint venture while Arcelor Mittal holds the remaining 15pc. In addition to coal, the new terminal will be designed to import iron ore. Poland sources most of its iron ore by rail from Ukraine but needs overseas iron ore for blending.

Imports of coal to Poland continue to rise despite a recent weakening of the Polish currency that has boosted the attractiveness of domestically produced coal. Poland imported 5.3mn t of coal in January-May, an increase of nearly 13pc on the year. Imports already represent more than 15pc of Poland's coal supplies.

Russia remains the largest supplier of coal to Poland. In January-May, Poland imported 3.3mn t from Russia, a 6.5pc increase on the year. Most of the coal imported from Russia is delivered to Poland by rail, although a few months ago sea imports were also popular, traders said. “In steam coal we now see mainly rail imports as sea imports have become too expensive,” one trader said.

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