Port Of Gdynia Research Articles

Evaluation of Positioning Functionality in ASG EUPOS for Hydrography and Off-Shore Navigation

The paper discusses the ASG EUPOS services. There is presented an assessment of the possibility of using this system selected sites in hydrography and off-shore navigation tasks. Presented and analyzed the experiments were carried out in the port of Gdynia and on the Gulf of Gdansk. The results obtaining in the work confirm the possibility of the position accuracy guaranteed by ASG EUPOS services. The obtained accuracy greatly exceeds the needs and requirements of coastal navigation and underwater mining and exploration of sea bottom.

The Speciation of Organotin Compounds in Sediment and Water Samples from the Port of Gdynia

Organotin compounds (OTC) are toxic towards all living organisms. The application of organitin-based antifouling systems is becoming the main source of OTC in the ocean. Harbor sediments and water contain large deposits of organotin compounds due to application of antifouling systems in the shipping industry. OTC contamination presents a potential risk to the marine environment. Sediment and water samples were collected in 2009 from Gdynia Harbor. For all the analyzed organotin compounds, the mean concentration values were determined: water samples monobutyltin (MBT): 13.2, dibutyltin (DBT): 16.7, tributyltin (TBT): 60.7 (ng cation dm−3), and sediment samples MBT: 261.4, DBT: 751.9, TBT: 2148.2 (ng cation g−1 d.w.). The estimated content of monophenyltin (MPhT), diphenyltin (DPhT), triphenyltin (TPhT), monooctyltin (MOT), dioctyltin (DOT), and tricyclohexyltin (TCHT) were below the detection limit of the applied method. It was found that the content of organic matter, the amount of fine fraction, and the pH all play a significant role in the distribution and sorption process of OTC between the water and the sediment on the bottom. Compared to an earlier study, the concentrations of all OTC are much lower, confirming that the applied legislation has had a positive impact.

Seasonal changes in organotin compounds in water and sediment samples from the semi-closed Port of Gdynia

The effect of seasonal changes on the distribution of organotin compounds (OTC) in the sediments and seawater from the docks of the Port of Gdynia was investigated. Sediment and seawater samples were collected from four industrial docks in February (winter) and June (summer) in 2009. The samples were analyzed for butyltin, phenyltin, octyltin, and tricyclohexyltin (total of 9 OTC derivatives). The fine fraction (<0.063mm) accumulated the highest concentration of OTC, although it was not the dominant fraction in the sediment samples from the Port of Gdynia. The average concentration of TBT, DBT and MBT in collected samples were as follows: 4400; 2188; 730ngcationg−1d.w. (February) 3638; 1590; 474ngcationg−1d.w. (June) in the fine sediment samples, 2805; 1266; 485ngcationg−1d.w. (February) in <2.00mm sediment fractions and 118.6; 39.2; 25.3ngcationL−1 (February) and 46.5; 12.6; 8.2ngcationL−1 (June) in the water samples. Higher concentrations of butyltin derivatives (BT) were observed in samples collected in February than in those collected in June. Seasonal changes in BT correlate well with changes in the water pH and concentrations of organic matter and can be attributed to sorption/desorption to sediments, photodegradation and biodegradation. Although the Port of Gdynia does not represent the natural features of a marine environment, seasonal variations recorded in the pH values as well as BT, organic carbon and biogenic element concentrations seem to be influenced by temperature and microbial activity.

Organotin compounds in surface sediments from seaports on the Gulf of Gdańsk (southern Baltic coast)

Sediment samples were collected in two Polish ports of international significance--the Port of Gdańsk and the Port of Gdynia (Gulf of Gdańsk, Baltic Sea)--in order to assess their butyltin and phenyltin contamination; this was done in 2008, just after the total ban on using harmful organotins in antifouling paints on ships came into force. Altogether, 21 sampling stations were chosen to present a diversity of port sites: from port canals and shipyards to anchorages and dumping sites. The organic carbon content and grain size of all the sediment samples were determined, and some environmental parameters (oxygen content, salinity) were measured as well. Total concentrations of butyltin compounds in sediment samples were very different and ranged between 1 and 18,520 ng Sn g(-1) d.w. Phenyltin contents were distinctly lower and ranged from below the limit of detection (most samples) to 660 ng Sn g(-1) d.w. The highest concentrations of organotins were found in the shipyards, the maximum total organotin content (19,180 ng Sn g(-1) d.w.) being found in the Gdańsk Ship Repair Yard 'Remontowa'. Butyltin degradation indices indicate a recent tributyltin input into the port sediments. The results obtained from this work prove that the international ban on using organotins may not be enough to protect the marine environment. It is necessary to monitor organotin contamination in ports and establish concentration limits of these compounds for the disposal of dredged material at sea.

Impacts of pollution derived from ship wrecks on the marine environment on the basis of s/s “ Stuttgart” (Polish coast, Europe)

In 1943 the German hospital ship s/s Stuttgart ( Lazaretschiff “C”) was sunk close to the port of Gdynia (Gulf of Gdańsk — Polish coast). This and other actions (undertaken after the war to remove the wreck) led to pollution of the sea bottom with oil derivatives. During our studies (2009) 11 surface sediment and water samples were collected as well as sediment core samples at 4 locations in order to determine the concentration levels of priority pollutants belonging to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). The concentrations of 16 PAH and 7 PCB were analysed with GC-MS. ΣPAH varied between 11.54 ± 0.39 and 206.7 ± 6.5 mg/kg dry weight in the surface sediments, and from 0.686 ± 0.026 to 1291 ± 53 mg/kg dry weight in the core samples. Contamination in the core samples collected may reach a depth of at least 230–240 cm (deepest sample studied). The PAH-group profiles in all surface sediment samples suggest a pyrolytic source of PAH, while the results obtained for core samples indicate a mixed pattern of pyrolytic and petrogenic inputs of PAH. Results obtained may suggest also that fuel residues being present at sea bottom is not crude oil derived but results from coal processing (synthetic fuel). The sum of PCB in surface sediments ranged from 0.761 ± 0.068 to 6.82 ± 0.28 μg/kg dry weight (except for sampling point W2, where ΣPCB was 108.8 ± 4.4 μg/kg dry weight). The strong correlation between PAH and PCB levels, and the fact that PCB are present only in the surface sediments, suggest that the compounds in these sediments got there as a result of emission from urban areas, entering the aquatic environment via atmospheric deposition. PCB levels in the sediment core samples were generally very low and in most cases did not exceed the method quantification limit.

Polish shipping and shipping policy

Following a period of about 120 years, when external political pressures prevented Poland from engaging in maritime commercial activities, the end of World War I marked an important epoch in Poland's maritime history. Although the Peace Treaties gave Poland access to the sea and the right to use Gdansk, it was not until 1926, when Poland's first shipping company was established and Poland's new port of Gdynia opened, that her new status as a maritime country was fashioned. This paper traces the development of Polish shipping from 1918 to the present time; discusses the factors related to Poland's problems in the sphere of international maritime transport; and outlines Poland's present shipping policy.