A container terminal in Świnoujście. Who is blocking this investment and why?

At the request of a German organic organisation Lebensraum Vorpommern, Provincial Administrative Court suspended the validity of the environmental decision for the container terminal in Świnoujście. Technically, this does not mean stopping construction, but in practice it blocks the start of work. This is a test for you – can it defend strategic investment against external pressures?

TEU passivity Świnoujście, which could change the power system

According to the investor’s assumptions, the container terminal in Świnoujście is expected to receive up to 2 million TEU per year, with the first stage already planned to reach 1 million TEU. For comparison, the total container turnover of Polish ports in 2024 closed within 3 million TEU. This means that the terminal could have increased national handling capacity by up to two thirds.

The value of the entire investment is estimated at over PLN 10 billion. It is money that would largely contribute not only to the labour market, but also to local and central budgets – in the form of taxes, port charges, premiums and duties. Today, it is difficult to identify a second infrastructure investment of equally multidimensional economic importance.

If the investment is stuck – losses will be calculated in hundreds of thousands of tons and millions of PLN

The one-year delay option means the loss of approximately 150 000 TEUs, which represents almost 15 percent of the volume planned for 2029. This is the number for which not only unserviced containers are responsible, but also specific losses: less handling, less work and less participation of Poland in the Baltic freight trade.

Read more: New container terminal in Świnoujście the key to Poland's economic growth

In the event of a complete halt of the investment, a significant part of the cargo would go to western ports – mainly Hamburg and JadeWeserPort – where further land transport would be necessary. It is an additional 150 to 250 kilometres per container, driven by trucks or trains that already work at the bandwidth limit. This scenario would not only mean an increase in costs but also a higher environmental burden. But it is still only a theoretical variant – because according to the government's announcements the terminal in Świnoujście will be built anyway.

Environmental cost? Transport of one container by land over a distance of 200 kilometres generates an average of 150 to 250 kg CO2. On a scale of hundreds of thousands of units per year, this means measurable losses – both for the climate and for the national economy. It is difficult not to ask: is the real environmental threat a terminal in Świnoujście or a lack of it?

Supply chains under pressure – immediate consequences

The lack of a modern deep water wharf in Świnoujście represents serious disruptions in strategic logistics sectors. This applies particularly to offshore wind energy, for which the key components – towers, turbine blades or foundations – must be operated by ports adapted for handling oversized and heavy loads.

The Świnouskie terminal was to serve as a back-up for investments such as Baltic I–III or Rozewie. Without it, there is a gap which will not be filled by the currently exploited waterfronts in Gdynia or Szczecin.

Read also: Conflict around the construction of a container terminal in Świnoujście

Export of highly processed products from Lower Silesia is equally at risk. There are more and more customers in Asia. Extending loading time or redirecting cargo to foreign ports means decreasing competitiveness – on a scale that cannot be offset only by production efficiency.

A dispute on the court – dates are known, costs less

The Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw suspended the validity of the environmental decision for the container terminal in Świnoujście. Although this does not formally mean stopping construction, in practice it blocks the commencement of works – until the case is resolved. According to Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewka, the decision is of a procedural nature and does not put an end to the implementation of the investment, which remains among government priorities.

The environmental procedure passed the full administrative path and on 5 February 2025 the decision became final. However, the case returned to court as a result of a complaint brought by the German environmental organisation Lebensraum Vorpommern, which challenged the environmental decision, despite the fact that the project met more than 150 strict conditions laid down in the administrative procedure. The hearing was scheduled for 4 August. Until then, the investment – despite the readiness of the executive – remains suspended.

If the decision of the WSA is unfavourable, it will be possible to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court and, in the long term, to proceedings before the EU institutions. The time frame is known, but the question of liability for potential losses remains open. There are hundreds of millions of zlotys in the game and concrete, measurable consequences for the economy and security of the state.

Arkadiusz Marchewka makes it clear: "We will not go back a step"

The government's position on the container terminal in Świnoujście leaves no doubt. Arkadiusz Marchewka, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure in charge of Maritime Economy, announces the consistent implementation of the project – regardless of external pressures. As he emphasises, the investment belongs to the priorities of the government and will be implemented "whether anyone likes it or not".

In his opinion, the actions taken by the German side – including a complaint to the court of environmental decision – are not surprising. The legal dispute is treated as one of the possible scenarios for which the government has prepared solutions. Until the judgment is delivered, scheduled for 4 August, the implementation of the environmental decision remains suspended. As the Deputy Minister points out, this concerns only the environmental aspect, not the investment itself.

Carrot clearly declares that the government will not go back a step – and the world's largest container ships will wrap on the western coast of Poland.

NATO on the Baltic without a back?

The container terminal in Świnoujście was designed from the beginning for dual-use functions, both for the needs of civil freight trade and as a potential logistics facility for allies operating in the Baltic and Świnoujście region.

Read also: Green light for Container Terminal at Port Świnoujście

The proximity of the LNG terminal, crucial for the energy security of the State, strengthened the importance of a location where, in a crisis situation, a concentrated handling of military equipment, materials and supplies could occur. In parallel, the host nation support (HNS) for NATO forces also plays Port Gdynia, which plays an important role in the Alliance's eventual plans. However, the potential of the Świnoujście – thanks to its deep waterfront and expanded backwater – would significantly increase Poland's ability to adopt support forces and conduct security operations on the northern flank.

The delay in this investment undermines the coherence of the NATO transport chain. This is a real weakening of the response capacity in the region, which in the NATO Strategic Concept of 2022 was identified as an area of increased operational importance.

A balance of benefits and losses – who will gain if the Świnoujście loses?

The suspension of investment means tangible losses for Poland – not only in symbolic terms, but above all in economic and social terms. The construction of the terminal is hundreds of jobs in the port service itself, from 250 to 500 direct jobs, as well as employment in the service chain: logistics, forwarding, IT industry and freight railways. In parallel, there is a risk reducing the investment attractiveness of the region, directly affecting the future rating and availability of capital for local projects.

Meanwhile, competitive ports – such as Hamburg or JadeWeserPort – are already signaling their readiness to take over cargo that will not reach Świnoujście. This means tangible benefits for the German borderlands: higher revenues from customs, taxes and the development of logistics services.

The basic question arises: is Poland a full partner in this game, or is it the subject of a game of interest played by stronger players under the pretext of caring about the environment? Germany has implemented the deepening of the Elbe and the expansion of JadeWeserPort despite protests by environmental organisations and within Natura 2000 areas. In the case of Świnoujście, one complaint was sufficient to stop the procedure, even though the project met more than 150 stringent environmental requirements.

Terminal rise, but time plays in favour of competition

If terminal in Świnoujście the cargo would not disappear from the Baltic map – it would be taken over by ports with appropriate infrastructure and operational readiness. Hamburg, Rotterdam or Gothenburg are already looking at the possibility of designing volumes that could bypass the Polish wharfs.

For Poland this would mean more than lost transhipments. It is a real loss of the ability to shape its own transport policy, while weakening the geostrategic position in northern Europe. The lack of a terminal is not only a gap in the economy, but also in security architecture – because logistics starts in port, but ends in a map of influence.

Can Poland really afford to stand by and watch administrative procedures become a tool for slowing down investments of strategic importance – at a time when NATO borders begin in ports? The Świnoujście terminal will rise, but every delay works in the favour of competition. And in logistics, it's not just the power – it's the time.

Written by Mariusz Dasiewicz