The Port of Gdynia in Poland has formally launched its €787m "outer port" project, a public-private partnership that will add an LNG terminal and a 2.5 million unit container terminal to the existing facilities.
The plan is to invite bids from up to five consortiums and choose a winner through competitive dialogue. The successful entity will then design, build and operate the terminals over a 30-year concession period.
The offer follows a market testing exercise, begun in February, to gauge the appetite of investors and contractors for the project (see further reading).
Adam Meller, president of the Port of Gdynia Authority, commented: "The steady increase in transhipments and good forecasts for the coming years are a strong argument for developing the Port of Gdynia. Over the past three years, investments made or commenced in the Port of Gdynia amount to over PLN1bn [€223m]. The Outer Port is a strategic investment."
During the dialogue, the authority will share economic and environmental information with the bidders, who will then submit offers.
The deadline for submitting applications for the qualification procedure is 15 January.
Alongside the port expansion, the authority is in the final stages of talks with the City of Gdynia over the building of the Droga Czerwona (Red Road) scheme to improve the port’s access to its hinterland.
The authority is being advised by accountant Ernst & Young, as well as consultants Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka and Databout.
Maciej Ziomek, an associate partner at Ernst & Young, commented that the winning bidder should be "a world-class operator able to attract cargo to the Port of Gdynia".
Image: The Port of Gdynia presently handles around 23.3 million tonnes of cargo a year (Port of Gdynia Authority)
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