Ice-free the whole year around

When the Ministry of the Treasury, in early January, gave the go-ahead for the expansion of Gdańsk Maritime Port, it became clear that this largest logistic investment would start rolling within a few months. The new container terminal with deep ship channel, to be commissioned in three years, will the most modern and largest such project in Poland.

Half a million tons of cargo annually

The first stage will see the construction of a 300-metre pier with all imperative port systems. The second stage envisages extension of the pier to allow three ships to be moored at a time on each side. Around 500,000 tons of cargo will be handled yearly. The weather conditions will favour movements, what with Gdańsk being the easternmost Baltic sea port which never freezes. DCT Gdańsk, a British company, will be the investor of the project to cost an estimated USD 170-200 mln. This company will cover the cost of constructing the terminal, in return for which it will be the port operator for thirty years. DCT head James Sutcliffe, also President of John Sutcliffe and Son shipping line, claims all projects will be ready and imperative planning permission obtained within six to seven months, Day & Johnson the firm chosen as project manager to be responsible for that. It will also elaborate the investment budget, create a designing team and choose a contractor.

Large = trustworthy

Terry Rogers, Day & Johnson in Poland Managing Director, told us: "We are talking with a number of companies who could participate in the construction of the terminal. Our shortlist is not ready yet but it is not difficult to create. We shall be looking for firms from among the top ten largest European contractors". He also added that though the engineering aspects do not need a general contractor to implement the project, it was decided to engage a general contractor due to the intention to enhance the project's financial credibility. Terry Rogers further remarked: "A large, well-known building company always arouses investors' trust". Day & Johnson company head thinks a team of architects and civil engineers experienced in such undertakings will be, imminently, tackling the designing work. When field work gets under way, this Autumn according to expectations, around one thousand workers will find jobs on the building site. Terry Rogers guarantees that local firms from Gdańsk Pomerania will be among the contracted companies.

At one with the sea

The question is: does supervision of civil engineering projects connected with the sea require exceptional qualifications? Not necessarily, though the first project in Poland in which Day & Johnson was employed - the LPG terminal in Gdansk - was also sea-related. But this company also deals in more traditional investments. It participated, in various capacities, in the construction of Tesco outlets in Wrocław and Kraków, Warsaw's Galeria Mokotów, the Wiśniowy Business Park office complex and the marina in Łeba port.