The Impact of Transport on the Quality of Water in the Port of Gdynia

Abstract

Currently, pollution of the sea by refuse, sewage and emission from transport has become one of the most important environmental problem. Environmental sustainability in seaport is an issue of timely importance in Baltic ports given the rapid increase in ports traffic and their location. The Port of Gdynia is an universal modern port specializing in handling general cargo, mainly unitized cargo transported in containers and in a ro-ro system. Ships traffic in the Port of Gdynia has increased in recent years. Many of ships carry cargo that could severally impact costal ecosystems if accidentally released. The common substance is likely oil because it is present in ships as both cargo and fuel. Sheltered harbour waters favour the accumulation of a fine fraction of bottom sediments in which pollutants such as heavy metals and organic compounds accumulate. This paper discusses the situation in the Gdynia Port and its challenges in terms of environmental aspects and current pollution situation. It is based on data on collected during the period 2012 to 2019.The water contamination measurement in the docks is performed for reference substances and parameters, according to the reference methodologies.