External port in Gdynia. Who will build the terminal and who will control it?

The Board of the Maritime Port of Gdynia extended the deadline for submission of tenders to a private partner until 30 September 2026. After nearly six years, the problem is not just another delay. The most important question today is: who will build an External Port in Gdynia and what tools will you retain to effectively control this strategic infrastructure?

The writing of this text was driven by the material of my dear colleague Łukasz Maziewski, whom I know and appreciate for reliable journalism. His analysis published in Virtual Poland "Nine times the charm. Gdynia is waiting for a miracle to come true"shows a case that goes far beyond the schedule of one proceeding. Since the subject is from my "garden", let me develop a few threads raised by it.

Because Gdynia is no longer just about the next deadline for the submission of tenders. There are interests of the largest terminal operators, global shipowners, investment funds and countries whose economic activities can have a direct impact on our country's policy and security.

Port Gdynia has set another deadline

Offers for construction and subsequent operation of the External Port were to be submitted first on 30 June and then on 14 July 2026. Eventually, the deadline was postponed to September 30.

The port board informed that the participants of the proceedings requested additional time to prepare documents and referred the case to the National Appeal Chamber. Some 350 questions concerning the documentation were submitted during the procedure. The port authorities shall specify the date of September as the final date.

However, this assurance should not be treated without criticism. In previous years, there were also dates to complete the waiting. Meanwhile, any redeployment means the subsequent signing of the contract, the commencement of construction and the launch of the terminal.

There are no documents available to the public to clearly identify which participant is responsible for the latest request for extension of the deadline. On the other hand, it is known that there has been a change in the procedure which cannot be brought into normal correction of the name of one of the companies.

TIL appeared at Mota-Engil site

One of the four original participants was Mota-Engil Central Europe PPP Road. In 2026 the company changed its owner, name and registered office. Currently acts as Terminal Investment Limited Gdynia sp. z o.o.

Interestingly, Łukasz states that the company retained a share capital of PLN 5 thousand. However, the amount itself does not say anything about its turnover, profits or actual financial background. In this case, the ownership structure and the experience of the group that took control of it are much more important.

Registration data shows that it is still the same legal person, entered under the same KRS number. The fifth bidder was therefore not formally simply added. However, in an economic sense, the change is essential: the site of the building group's back office has been replaced by a structure connected with one of the largest terminal operators in the world.

Terminal Investment Limited is controlled by MSC, the largest container shipper in the world. Among its shareholders are also Global Infrastructure Partners, owned by BlackRock, and Singapore's state-owned GIC fund.

The TIL input may mean access to capital, cargo, global connection network and terminal management experience for Gdynia. At the same time, it shows that not only the name of the participant can change in the multi-annual proceedings, but also its actual potential, economic interest and position to the State.

Western investor doesn't solve every problem

The origin of capital is important, but in itself it cannot determine the security of investment.

TIL, together with the BlackRock Group, participates in negotiations on the purchase of a significant portion of CK Hutchison's foreign port assets. The transaction announced in March 2025 included 43 ports in 23 countries, including terminals located at Panama Canal and Hutchison's assets in Europe. However, its implementation encountered regulatory and political problems, and Beijing began to seek the permission of a Chinese investor to join the consortium.

This is a very important lesson for Poland. The State cannot assess the partner solely on the basis of its current ownership structure. Funds sell shares, shipowners make alliances, and terminal operators participate in global acquisitions. A company which today has acceptable owners, in ten or twenty years may be under the control of a completely different group.

The External Port Agreement should therefore not only apply to the current investor. It should also protect the State against future change of ownership, terminal operator, IT system management entity or company having access to ship and cargo data.

Future External Port and its dual application

The Outer Port in Gdynia is expected to be built for about 150 hours of new terrain. In the first phase, the construction of a 950 m wharf and a terminal with an annual capacity of approximately 2.5 million TEU is planned. The value of the project in the formula of public-private partnership exceeds PLN 5 billion.

However, it will not be an ordinary commercial terminal.

Gdynia remains the main base of the Polish Navy. In the vicinity of the port also operates PGZ War Shipyardwhere frigates of the Sword are built. The port serves military transport and is important for NATO's activities in the Baltic Sea region. Government documents on the Red Road indicate that the new connection is intended to improve, among other things, the transport of military cargo.

This means that the future operator will operate in a place of strategic importance for the security of Poland, where maritime transport and interests of the world's largest shipowners combine with military logistics, shipping safety and the activities of the Polish Navy.

The agreement with the private partner should therefore provide the State with the right to approve ownership changes, subcontractor checks and opposition to the transfer of terminal management to another entity. Guarantees of access to state services and allied forces, data protection, surveillance of IT systems and the possibility of temporarily taking control in a security emergency are also needed.

Such safeguards are not aimed at foreign investors. On the contrary, clear rules limit risks and allow each participant to assess the operating conditions in advance.

Gdynia already has an experience that cannot be ignored

The discussion of the future terminal must not ignore the situation of Gdynia Container Terminal, controlled by the Hutchison Group.

The operator uses about 20 hectares of land and more than half a kilometer of waterfront on the basis of rights acquired after the former Gdynia Shipyard. The right to use this site is to apply until 2089. Maritime Management Board Port of Gdynia it does not have the same ownership influence as it does for most other port areas.

This does not mean that the terminal operates outside Polish law. The problem is something else: the state has limited ownership and management tools towards a strategic site located inside the port.

Luke rightly goes back to this case because it shows the effects of decisions taken without adequate protection of the State interest for several decades. Today's authorities can increase security, carry out controls and cover the area with additional security procedures. However, it is much harder to change the rights acquired by the investor two decades earlier.

In the case of the External Port, a similar error cannot be explained by lack of experience.

Without the Red Way, the terminal will remain an incomplete investment

However, the choice of a private partner does not end the problems of Port Gdynia. The new terminal requires adequate rail and road access, especially the construction of the Red Road.

The planned route of about 9 km is to connect the port to the S6 expressway and the network of national roads. Its cost is estimated at around PLN 2.7 billion.

Without this connection growth transhipments increase truck traffic in the city instead of improving port competitiveness. New quays, container terminal, railway lines and Red Road must therefore be treated as one investment programme.

Each year of delay in selecting a partner reduces the chances of coordinating these projects. Even in 2026, the real launch of the terminal will probably not take place until the beginning of the next decade. This is a conclusion resulting from the scale of hydrotechnical work, the need to land part of the swimming pool and the construction of the wharf and the hinterland.

The capital is to build a port, not a state restriction

Port Gdynia needs a large, experienced investor. The largest shipping lines are more eager to direct ships to terminals where they have their own shares or long-term contracts. Without a connection to a global shipowner, it will be difficult to exploit the full capacity of the External Port.

However, this does not mean that the State should give control in exchange for the promise of cargo.

The important thing is not whether an investor comes from China, the United States, France, Switzerland or the Philippines. The most important is whether Poland retains effective supervision law, the possibility of blocking undesirable ownership changes and access to terminal in emergency situations.

The Outer Port will be built for several years, but is to operate for decades. At this time governments, economic alliances, company owners and world trade directions will change. Therefore, such an agreement should be immune to any of these changes.

The ninth postponement is annoying, but it can be used to accurately prepare the security. For the tenth time, the country should no longer explain that there was no time to ask the right questions. Luke, I hope you don’t have to write a text in a few months entitled "Up to 10 times the charm”.

Finally, let me make a little digression to all those who will make decisions about the External Port today and in the future. Subsequent governments, regardless of political colours, are unable to launch this investment. After all, we are talking about investment important not only for the economy, but also for the security of Poland. Sometimes it is worth thinking about not the next election, but what will remain after years. A project that our children and grandchildren will benefit from. Something that in a few decades you can proudly show and say: this was created during our term of office.

Mariusz Dasiewicz

Source: WP