Extension of the Port of Szczecin beyond the halfway point!

Despite the winter, intensive work is being carried out at the Norweskie, Czeskie and Duńskie Quays, thanks to which the Port of Szczecin will also become more accessible to larger vessels. The good news is that the planned works have already been completed in more than 54 percent.

The investment in the Port of Szczecin is gigantic. A new Norweskie Quay is to be built, forming an extension of the existing Fińskie Quay, which today serves as a container terminal. The reconstruction of the existing Czeskie and Słowackie Quays along with the modernisation of the technical infrastructure in the immediate hinterland of the quays were also planned. In addition, the Duńskie Quay equipped with sheet pile capping system and with a length of approx. 770 metres is to be built. It will act as a protection of the Ostrów Grabowski shore and will allow the extension of the Norweskie quay in the future.

But this is not all. The Dębicki Canal will be widened from 120 metres to 200 metres and deepened to a technical depth of 12.5 metres.

The investor for this ambitious task is Zarząd Morskich Portów Szczecin i Świnoujście S.A. (ZMPSiŚ), and the general contractor is the consortium of NDI Sp. z o.o. and NDI SOPOT S.A., which is already responsible for implementation of such hydraulic engineering challenges as, for example, the crosscut through the Vistula Spit and the extension of the Holenderskie and Indyjskie Quays in the Port of Gdynia.

Winter is thwarting our plans

“In this case, time is the biggest challenge for us, which is why we carry out works on all fronts at the same time,” says Irena Filipek, Site Manager from the NDI Group.

And she elaborates that when it comes to reinforced concrete works, more than 52 percent of the construction of the Czeskie Quay (applies to Phase I with a length of 316.5 m), 44 percent of the Norweskie Quay and 72 percent of the Duńskie Quay were completed. It should be noted that when the weather was unfavourable, some works had to be postponed – for example, concreting cannot be done at negative temperatures, so such work had to be stopped.

“We are also constantly carrying out works related to the construction of embankments on the island of Ostrów Mieleński. We have made 205 out of 292 containers, which means 70.21 percent of the progress,” adds Irena Filipek.

So far, also pile-driving works related to driving the combined wall from the water side have been carried out, piles from the land side have been driven and anchors have been made on the Czeskie Quay at a length of 316.5 metres. On the other hand, on the Norweskie Quay, pile-driving works related to driving sheet piles were carried out, micropile anchors and CFA piles were made along the entire length of the quay, and the storage yard was strengthened. In addition, on the Duńskie Quay, pile-driving works related to driving sheet piles were carried out and micropile anchors were made at a length of 770 metres, i.e. on the entire quay.

What is more, the entire fendering line on the Fińskie Quay was also replaced. The working platform for the embankments on the island of Ostrów Mieleński was made along their entire length, and the embankment is being constructed. More than 70 percent of this type of work has been completed so far.

Great equipment has been put into operation

To ensure speedy and efficient work, the general contractor uses state-of-the-art equipment, including, among others, a pile driver, vibro hammers, an anchoring machine, dumpers, a dredger, a piling machine, pontoons and pushers. As the general contractor emphasises, although a huge part of investments has already been made, there are still many important tasks to complete.

“In the near future, we plan to resume the dredging works consisting in deepening the Dębicki Canal. We will also continue the reinforced concrete works on the quays, continue to build embankments on the island of Ostrów Mieleński, as well as build a crane and railway track on the Czeskie Quay,” says Piotr Arabczyk, Project Director from the NDI Group

The investment is one of the flagship projects implemented by ZMPSiŚ in the Port of Szczecin. It aims to improve access to the Port of Szczecin in the area of the Dębicki Canal. Currently, the Czeskie and Słowackie Quays are the most intensively used bulk cargo quays in this area, and modernisation will ensure that their parameters are adapted to handle the largest vessels.

The project is co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment. The gross cost is approx. PLN 343.1 million.