The water track to Świnoujście and Szczecin will be wider

The Maritime Office in Szczecin has announced tender procedures for two investments to improve the safety of shipping and the capacity of water tracks to ports in Świnoujście, Szczecin and Police. It is about widening the approach track to the Świnoujście and building a pass for large ships in the Police Channel.

The water track to the Świnoujście is intended to allow bidirectional movement

The first investment involves widening the approach to the seaport in Świnoujście, and the second one involves the construction of an expanded section of the water track, which will allow the passing of large ships in the Police Canal.

In practice, the aim is to remove two limitations that affect the organisation of ship traffic. On the approach to Świnoujście is a problemtrack width, especially when operating large gas-driven vehicles to the terminal LNG. A section of the track remains in the Police area, where the largest ships flowing to and from Szczecin cannot pass freely.

According to information from the Maritime Office, the Świnoujście project covers a section from the N1 buoy to the 11-12 pond pair, i.e. from 10 to 43.5 km of track. The entire planned section is 33.5 km long, but the reusable works associated with the extension of the track to 500 m at the bottom will be made at 23.5 km long. On the remaining passage, it is enough to change the navigational marking spacing, because the natural parameters of the water are greater than the planned ones. The track depth of 14.5 m is not to be changed.

The importance of this investment goes beyond the port itself in Świnoujście. The track operates, among others, gas turbines, which is why its expansion is directly linked to the energy security of the country and the efficiency of maritime transport. Currently the track width is 200 to 220 m, depending on the section. Once the work has been completed, it is to be possible to move the large ships safely.

Mijanka in the Police Channel unlocks access to Szczecin

The second procedure concerns the construction of a minima for ships in the Police Channel. This investment is important primarily for the port in Szczecin and the port in Police. The project envisages widening the track to 100 m and deepening it to 12.5 m at a distance of 5.32 km.

Mijanka is intended to allow the safe passage of large ships of 200 to 240 m overall length, 32 to 32.3 m wide and to be submerged up to 11 m wide. After the reconstruction, traffic is to be separated: one section will be designed for ships entering Szczecin, and parallel for shipsleaving port. 

Polish waters have already issued a water permit for this investment. According to the decision, a section of the Policki Canal from 44 km to 45,5 km will be covered, and the proceeds of the recyclable works will be transferred to the W28 refulator field in Zalew Szczeciński.

Investments for ports of Western Pomerania

Both investments are to improve not only the safety of shipping, but also the capacity of the entire transport system leading toports in Świnoujście, Szczecin and Police. These ports are part of the TEN-T network, therefore the work is also important for intermodal transport and cargo handling in the Baltic – land facilities.

According to the Maritime Office, work on widening the approach track to Świnoujście should be completed in April 2028. The construction of the bypass in the Police Channel is to be completed by the end of 2028.