Brexit may be opportunity for Polish ports - minister
Polish Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Waterways Marek Gróbarczyk asserted on Monday that the UK's exit from the EU may represent an opportunity for Polish ports in terms of increased cargos coming to Poland.
Gróbarczyk talked to PAP after a meeting with British Transport Minister Chris Grayling, during which one of the issues discussed was bilateral cooperation in the field of maritime economy post-Brexit.
The Polish minister stated that Poland "definitely sees opportunities in this," underscoring that it is "an opportunity to find ourselves on the shipping market where we haven't been."
"Certainly those connections, above all between ports, have not been at the proper level and creating such an offer (...) has to bring a positive result," he declared.
The minister explained that the diversification strategy to date has brought a very positive effect in the form of growth to more than 100 million tonnes reloaded a year and "it seems to us that (there is an opportunity of) strengthening cooperation with carriers and operators that function in the UK."
"It should have the effect of increasing cargos, because we're not fighting for anything else; just for ever greater weight of goods to come in through Poland," Gróbarczyk said, noting that such goods do not necessarily have to have Poland as their final destination.
Marek Gróbarczyk also declared that Poland is prepared for the possible hampering of trade in the event of the UK's exit from the EU without a deal, emphasising that there are "cyclical meetings" on the subject. "We are preparing for all possible scenarios," he said.
According to the Central Statistical Office (GUS), the turnover of cargo at Polish sea ports where the location of loading or unloading was the UK has fallen in recent years, from 3.08 million tonnes in 2014 to 2.38 million tonnes in 2017. (PAP)
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