Polish embassy in Budapest promotes Polish ports to be competitive with Hungarians

On Wednesday, the Polish embassy in Budapest organised a meeting on the possibilities for Hungarian business representatives to cooperate with Polish ports. Speaking to PAP, Rafal Machowiak, secretary general of the National Chamber of Maritime Economy, said that Polish ports could be competitive for Hungarians compared to ports on the Adriatic Sea.

– ‘With the ongoing war in Ukraine and complex bilateral relations, we want to develop Polish-Hungarian contacts, including trade contacts,’ said Sebastian Kęciek, Polish ambassador to Budapest, welcoming representatives of Hungarian business.

During the presentation, representatives of Polish ports presented their operational possibilities, which could also be used by Hungarian companies.

– The closest ports for the Hungarians are, of course, the Adriatic ports, where, by the way, the Hungarian state is planning to open its own port,” Rafał Machowiak, secretary general of the National Chamber of Maritime Economy, emphasised in an interview with PAP.

In December 2022, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto, announced the signing of an agreement with Italy to purchase a plot of land in the port of Trieste to provide Hungarian companies with faster and easier access to seaports. The Hungarian port on the Adriatic Sea is expected to become operational in 2026 and handle 2.5 million tonnes of goods per year.

However, as Machowiak points out, in terms of communication networks, Hungary’s connection to the Baltic is also very good and the infrastructure is getting better.

– I arrived in Budapest from Gdynia in just 10 hours,” adds the chamber representative.

As he emphasises, from the Baltic ports it is possible to export products especially to Great Britain or Scandinavia, but also to the Far East.

– Of course, it is closer from Piraeus in Greece or Koper in Slovenia, but sometimes the use of Polish ports in this respect proves more profitable,” Machowiak points out.

To his knowledge, Hungarian goods already go to Polish ports, which also see this as a prospect for greater cooperation.

– Moreover, in the context of the Hungarians opening a port in Trieste, Polish ports and shipyards can always provide experience and equipment, Machowiak added.

At the same time, he said that in order to diversify energy sources, Hungary also has the possibility to import gas thanks to the LNG terminal in Swinoujscie.

The event called Polish Sea Day was organised by the Polish embassy in Budapest in cooperation with the National Chamber of Maritime Economy and the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Source: PortalMorski.pl