Macroeconomic situation in the voivodeship

The gross domestic product (GDP) generated by the Pomorskie Voivodeship in 2006 amounted to PLN 60.250 billion, which places the region on the seventh position in the country. In the years 2000–2006 the average annual GDP growth rate in Pomerania stood at 6.2% and exceeded the national level. The 2006 average GDP per head in the Pomorskie Voivodeship was PLN 27 373, which gives the fifth position in Poland. Over 50% of the voivodeship’s GDP is generated by the Tri‑city (Gdańsk—Gdynia—Sopot). In figures for 2006, this amounted to the total of PLN 30.365 billion. In terms of GDP per head the Tri‑city comes fifth among all Polish sub-regions with the ratio standing at PLN 40 491.

The economic potential of the region is founded on traditional industries on the one hand (shipbuilding, oil refining, food products, machines, furniture, and tourism), and the developing trades on the other hand (information technology, electronics, and biotechnology). The region builds its developmental perspectives on the latter.

Ship launching in Gdansk shipyard (click to enlarge) Fot. www.remontowa.com.pl

Shipbuilding continues to be the leading industry of Pomerania and the largest employer, and is represented by building yards, repair yards, and the cooperating companies whose offers go beyond the industry to include services available to other trades.

 

The Pomorskie Voivodeship accounts for the major part of the Polish shipbuilding. In the year 2008 the yards of the Pomorskie Voivodeship built 16 vessels (mainly car and container carriers), which represented 80% of the entire Polish ship

production. The order book of the Pomorskie yards at the end of November 2008 consisted of 46 vessels (72% of all orders placed with the Polish shipbuilders).

 

The largest shipbuilding company in terms of income on sales (both regionally and nationally) is the Repair Capital Group headed by the Gdańsk Ship Repair Yard. The Repair Group offers services consisting of repairs, conversions, and new, fully fitted ships. The new build line is located in the Northern Yard which specialises in building vessels to the designs developed by its own design office. The vessels are tailored to the shipowners’ individual needs and typically represent niche builds generally outside the scope offered by the yards in Asia (e.g. boats for the excavation industry). The Northern Yard also builds passenger boats, passenger and car carriers, gas carriers, container carriers, and multipurpose vessels.

 

The group is made up of 28 enterprises pursuing business lines closely related to shipbuilding: from the Northern Yard which builds various types of vessels, through the Famos Ship Furniture Factory, or Hydroster—both manufacturers of ship fixtures, up to IT-REM which specialises e.g. in IT solutions for the maritime trade.

  

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Pomerania would not be the same without oil refining. The trade is represented by the largest enterprise in the region and one of the largest companies in Poland – the LOTOS SA Capital Group. LOTOS deals with oil extraction and processing, and trading in oil products. 

 

The improving results do not end the list of good news. The LOTOS Group is currently pursuing the largest investment project in Central and Eastern Europe, called „Programme 10+”. The project will equip the Gdańsk refinery with a number of new, technologically advanced installations which will enable improving the effectiveness of manufacturing the oil products sought for in the domestic and foreign markets. The project will also increase the country’s energy security.

 

Today, the refinery in Gdańsk belonging to the LOTOS Group processes 6 million tonne of crude oil per annum. The strategy up to the year 2012 envisages increasing in the processed oil volume to 10.5 million tonne per year. Gaining direct access to oil fields abroad is to assist it in reaching the goal.

 

Sea Towers in Gdynia (click to enlarge) Fot. www.seatowers.pl

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Another sector of high economic significance for the region (and the country) and, most importantly, a sector facing good developmental perspectives, is the building industry. The construction and erection projects completed in the Pomorskie Voivodeship in 2007 amounted to PLN 3.9 billion, which was more than 30% higher than the result achieved the year before. Works related to the construction of motorways, double carriageways, streets, and other roads had the largest share in the output (PLN 710.4 million). Semi-detached houses and multi-family blocks come second (PLN 688.3 million), and industrial and warehousing structures third (PLN 537.2 million).

 

The food industry has a traditionally strong position in the voivodeship economy. The trade generates about 11% of Pomerania’s industrial production sold and employs 20 thousand people. The largest share in the regional sales achieved in food processing has for several years remained with the fish processing line. The income of the sub-sector accounts for over 28% of the local sector’s entire sale. Meat processing comes second with a 24% share in the sector’s sale and is followed by oil and fat production, which generates 11% of the sector’s turnover.