POLAND
Gdansk Coldstore can distribute ďŹ sh from the North Atlantic around the world
Successful response to national and international competition Cold storage is a vital part of the distribution chain for frozen seafood. In fact, seafood today is among the most widely-traded commodity in the world, a status that owes much to the development and spread of cold storage facilities. In Europe, the Netherlands has a long history as a major player in the cold storage and distribution industry, thanks partly to its strategic location and its openness to trade, but other countries are also seeking a piece of the action.
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n Gdansk, Poland, Gdansk Coldstore has established a facility that Maciej Kisiel, its managing director, modestly hopes will provide an alternative to companies currently shipping to the Netherlands. The plant is located in the duty free zone of the port of Gdansk next to two terminals offering container services to Asia, Africa, and Western Europe. In addition, it is the only facility in Poland to offer unloading possibilities for reefer vessels and fishing vessels, where the product has third country origin.
Close collaboration with multiple authorities The advantages of being in a duty free zone is that frozen commodities can come in the zone from anywhere in the world and no duties or taxes need to be paid until the time the frozen seafood is customs cleared. It is beneficial for the shipper because he can bring his consignment to the cold store and then sell it to a buyer who would have to customs clear it himself. This can be done either as he takes delivery, say truck by truck, or if he prefers, the entire consignment can be cleared and then wait in the cold store. The cold storage was built with the support of EU funds and one of the provisos was that until 2020 the facility could only be used for
Gdansk Coldstore hopes to provide a competitive alternative to companies currently storing their products in the Netherlands.
the storage of sea born fish. After that it would also be possible to store farmed seafood. The main clients are from countries in the North Atlantic region like: Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Shetland Islands, Faroe Islands, but also in the US, Chile, and the Far East. Receiving the goods are primarily customers in Poland as well as in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The coldstore is used by companies as an extension of their own operations, that is, they treat the coldstore as their own facility where they can store goods prior to distribution. The cargo continues to belong to the exporter which is possible because of the coldstore’s location in the duty free zone. The facility is thus used as a hub for further distribution in Poland, the Ukraine and other Eastern Europe
countries. Consignments are also being sent to Africa and Far East, thanks to the proximity of the two container terminals serving big container vessels with the direct calls to main ports of the Far East and Africa.
Facility certified to international standards We are in a position to provide an alternative to the big Western European ports in Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Hamburg, says Mr Kisiel, because of our competitive prices, top quality service, and because the popularity of the Dutch ports is contributing to congestion there. As evidence, he points to the trial shipment of 2,000 tonnes of frozen fish that were sent to Africa in 2017 from Iceland and Norway. He sees a
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great growing potential in this area. Exporters also benefit from being able to better utilise the capacity of the vessels. If they are shipping something to Poland and there is spare capacity on board the vessel, then it can be used to carry goods to another destination. The facility is certified to MSC, IFS, ISO, and BRC standards, an important factor for many clients. Moreover, the company is now on the certification path of OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) and SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) standards. Ultimately, however, the economics has to work both for us and for the client if they are to use us, agrees Mr Kisiel, who spent several years working on reefer vessels and so knows how the business works. You need to have some added &VSPl TI ).)A05,