The Polish energy company ORLEN opens strategic marine terminal on the Martwa Wisła River in Gdańsk, built largely by compatriot companies. The project cost nearly PLN 500 million (about US$ 134m).
ORLEN has opened a Marine Transshipment Terminal at its Gdańsk refinery, marking the completion of one of the group’s key logistics projects.
The facility enables refinery products and feedstocks to be transferred directly between the refinery and tankers, eliminating the need for intermediate transport.
The terminal is designed to handle more than 1.8 million tons of cargo annually, and it has already received its first vessels, which loaded marine gas oil (MGO) from the refinery and delivered FAME for use in biofuel production.
The new terminal features a 380-metre quay with two identical berths and can handle two vessels at the same time.
Each berth can accommodate a vessel of up to 10,000 dwt, with a maximum length of 130 metres, beam of 17.6 metres and draught of 5.8 metres, and is fitted with four automated, bidirectional marine loading arms operating at 10 bar, with a transfer capacity of up to 500 m³ per hour, according to ORLEN.
The terminal will handle exports of Group I and Group II base oils, used among other applications in the production of engine and hydraulic oils; low-sulphur marine gas oil, used in vessels’ main engines and auxiliary machinery; and xylene, used as a solvent in the chemical industry.
It will also handle imports of FAME and UCOME for use in biofuel production; ethanol, an environmentally friendly petrol blending component; and MTBE and ETBE, additives used to increase the octane rating of petrol.
In its first year of operation, the ORLEN Marine Transshipment Terminal on the Martwa Wisła River in Gdańsk is expected to handle around 100 vessels and approximately half a million tonnes of products.
Its ultimate annual throughput capacity could reach approximately 1.8-2 million tonnes of products.
“The ORLEN Marine Transshipment Terminal on the Martwa Wisła River in Gdańsk is a strategically important project that will enhance the security and efficiency of Poland’s fuel logistics. It shortens the supply chain, increases the operational flexibility of the Gdańsk refinery and strengthens our operational independence. We are particularly pleased that Polish companies played a leading role in delivering such an advanced facility. It demonstrates that Polish businesses are capable of delivering strategically important projects to the highest technological and organisational standards,” said Ireneusz Fąfara, president of the ORLEN management board.
