Baltic - the future of Europe

Ports around Baltic are famous for their key positions as the bridge from other continents to Europe. Nowadays this area becomes more and more hot that the Baltic Shipping Index has become the flag of shipping industry. As the No. 1 ports organization in this area, Baltic Ports Organization has grown over 18 years and now obtains ports members possessing 400 million tons of cargo, 3,3 million containers, 60 million passengers and 200 000 port calls. This time Shippingchina.com has the honour to interview Mr. Julian F. Skelnik, Chairperson of Baltic Ports Organization to discover the charming lying in the Baltic Ports.

  

 

 

J: As the renowned ports organization in the Baltic area, how was BPO established?

 

Mr. Julian F. Skelnik: BPO (the Organization of Baltic Ports) is organized into unions of more than the 40 most significant ports from the nine countries of the Baltic Sea, including Russia. Established 10 October, 1991 in Copenhagen - after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union – it was created to ease cooperation between ports facing new circumstances and to determine the possibilities of maritime cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. At first, West European ports performed an important part in the popularization of new circumstances of the cooperation and the market economy. Changes progressed very quickly. Along with the EU’s enlargement, the importance of the Baltic Sea region, as well as this part of BPO, entered into a new phase.

 

J: Would you please give us a general introduction to the organization’s goal, membership and activities?

Mr. Julian F. Skelnik: BPO’ s main objective became improving the competitiveness of sea carriage in the Baltic region by the aggrandisement of the handling capacity of ports, marketing operations, building a logistics strategy for the region, and modernizing the infrastructure of ports. Our priorities became:

-       improving the circumstances of cooperation of port-operators,

-       initiating new, modern technologies on the job of ports, accelerating the integration of ports and transport chains,

-       enlarging the efficiency of ports and their economies of scale,

-       environmental protection,

-       developing cooperation with economic authorities of the region with regard to the needs of businessmen.

 

A priority for BPO is the promotion of “forwarding corridors” on the Baltic. The region of the Baltic Sea is one of greatest and fastest growing.

 

J:  What are the main tasks for your presidency as the Chairman of BPO? Is there any new change or improvement on BPO’s outward policy and development strategy?

 

Mr. Julian F. Skelnik: I do not see the need to make a revolution. I intend to perfect the existing formula of already functioning techniques, to more efficiently address our problems with the European Union and to improve cooperation with Russian ports. Specifically, I also mean, to improve the economic tools for monitoring the Baltic forwarding market.

 

J: Recently the interaction between China and ports in the Baltic area is becoming more and more frequent. According to your consideration, what are the potential chances of cooperation between BPO ports and Chinese partners (Please give an example regarding Gdansk Port)?

 

Mr. Julian F. Skelnik: That’s true. China surely realizes that this is the region with the most development potential in Europe. There have been many corporate relations already. Many cities, regions and ports endorsed letters of intent or agreements that regard co-operation and economic exchange.

Most transports from China will be taken over by deepwater ports that have the biggest hinterlands.

 

J: How does the financial crisis affect the port’s business in the Baltic area? Is there any action for BPO to take?

 

Mr. Julian F. Skelnik: We have observed a fall in trans-shipments in most of the groups of goods, e.g. about 10 percent less containers. It is not a dramatic break down. Parallel to our BPO General Assembly we also hold a conference on the economic crisis in the aspect of Baltic ports.

 

J: How can one become a BPO member? What can members gain from BPO?

 

Mr. Julian F. Skelnik: Every Baltic port can become a member of BPO and every company, which co-operates with ports in the Baltic Sea region, can become a Friendship Member of BPO.

BPO membership ensures among other things:

- regular and permanent contact with all ports and associate organizations,

- participation in all organized events by BPO (seminars, conferences, General Assemblies...),

- obtaining the BPO Bulletin, informing about all important topics,

- free access to all materials from conferences, seminars and other events (includes statistics and presentations),

- free access to the database and scientific works done by us or for us.

 

 

 

J: Would you please give an introduction to BPO’s seminars, which effectively increase worldwide mutual interaction?

 

Mr. Julian F. Skelnik: Our activities are always dedicated to problems, which ports will face in the future. We try, e.g. to forestall many negative results in that regard:

- neighbouring economic regions,

- technological progress and environmental protection,

- elements of the economic crisis.

We meet yearly in Brussels at the home of the European Union Parliament, at a special seminar, presenting the Baltic Sea region, specific problems of our ports and the economies of Baltic Europe.

 

J: Thank you for your participation in the DIALOGUE of Shippingchina.com, which has 200 thousand members and enjoys 2 million clicks per day. So what would you like to say to the members here?

 

Mr. Julian F. Skelnik: To look to the Baltic - the future of Europe...

Journalist: Betty Chen