Gateway to Central and Eastern Europe: Poland’s ports are growing, driving the expansion of logistics infrastructure

The Polish Baltic coast is experiencing its strongest boom in decades. The Port of Gdańsk now serves as an ocean gateway for the continent, with direct calls by services from Asia. In July, construction began on a deep-water terminal in Świnoujście, which will serve a similar role. Gdynia and Szczecin are breaking their own container records. A growing share of the cargo, however, does not stay within the country but is bound for recipients across Central and Eastern Europe. Polish Baltic terminals are increasingly competing for this volume with those in the west and south of the continent. Port infrastructure is developing in parallel with the warehouse and transport base.

The geopolitical situation is also contributing to the growth in transshipment volumes at ports in Poland. By the end of August 2026, around 18% of westbound Asia–Europe capacity had returned to the Suez Canal route, which shortens transit times and increases the number of port calls. Imports to Poland are rising as well: according to Statistics Poland (GUS), in the first half of 2026 they were 5.1% higher than a year earlier. For logistics operators, it means a growing volume of cargo that requires comprehensive handling – from transport and customs clearance to warehousing and distribution.

Terminal and its hinterland as one interconnected system

Before goods reach a store shelf or a buyer’s production line, they have to be deconsolidated, transshipped, cleared through customs and, in most cases, temporarily stored. These operations often take place not on the quayside but in warehouses and cross-dock terminals within a radius of several dozen kilometres of the port. In LCL groupage imports, deconsolidation is a precondition for entering distribution – the contents of a single container are delivered to a dozen or more recipients. This is why the capacity of a container terminal alone is not enough – the efficiency of the logistics services behind it is equally important.

Port investment advances the region and brings it closer to Europe

Baltic Hub has launched its third container terminal, Gdynia exceeded one million TEU mark for the first time in 2025, and the Szczecin–Świnoujście port complex handled 7.5% more cargo in 2025 than a year earlier. The rapid development of ports in Poland results from the fact that they increasingly serve not only the domestic market but also those of Central and Eastern Europe. Rail and road connections are being expanded as well – both inland and those linking ports in Poland with other countries in the region. To a great extent, they determine how quickly cargo travels from the port to a recipient deep inside the continent.
It is the transport infrastructure and logistics facilities that allow Polish ports to compete effectively with ports in Western and Southern Europe. In the Pomerania region, the change is visible, among other things, in the pace at which new warehouse space is being built. At the end of 2025, 84% of storage capacity under construction in the Tricity already had a tenant. In particular, warehouses located directly next to ports are being leased even before they are completed and handed over for use.

Quayside warehouses with bonded facilities enhance transport efficiency

Nowadays, the value of warehouse facilities is increasingly determined by the ability to combine multiple operations in one place. Such a facility can accommodate a bonded warehouse and a temporary storage facility, clear goods at an approved customs clearance location, hold inventory for the domestic and export markets, and provide value-added services (VAS) such as co-packing and labelling.

A container transported several hundred kilometres inland only to be deconsolidated and cleared there effectively travels the same route twice. By carrying out these operations at the quayside, we shorten the entire cycle and release the container sooner. SUUS sees demand shifting towards facilities that combine a warehouse and a cross-dock terminal with customs expertise under one roof.

At SUUS, we secure such locations in advance. In May 2026, we launched a logistics hub of more than 15,000 m² in Szczecin, where the warehouse sits next to a cross-dock terminal. There we deconsolidate sea containers and clear cargo at an approved customs clearance location, while groupage shipments leave on daily connections to Sweden and Norway. For us, Szczecin serves as a gateway to Scandinavia and, increasingly, to the German market as well. At the facility, we also plan to implement AutoStore – a robotic storage system which will streamline its operations.

At the same time, we are developing our branch in Gdańsk. The cross-dock zone is being enlarged and loading docks for distribution added. The rest of the facility will be dedicated to container handling, as the existing space is already fully utilised. The branch operates a bonded warehouse and a temporary storage facility, and we carry out customs clearance at an approved customs clearance location. As a result, all customs handling of imported goods can take place right outside the port gate.

Ports in Poland now have a real chance of becoming the main gateway for cargo bound for Central and Eastern Europe. It will be determined not only by the depth of approach fairways and terminal capacity, but at least as much by the availability of warehouse space, customs expertise and efficient transport links with the rest of the continent.