The Silk Road has a new route. Slovakia will no longer be an entry point to Europe, says a transport expert – Country – Economy
Slovakia could have been a logistics hub for the rest of Europe. In Čierna nad Tisou, we were supposed to receive goods from China for the whole of Europe. The war in Ukraine thus deprived Slovakia of goods, taxes and the world’s first point of contact with the EU, says František Komora, president of the Logistics and Shipping Association, in an interview for Pravda.
photo: František Komora/Union of Logistics and Shipping of the Slovak Republic
František Komora, Association of Logistics and Shipping
Poland is developing its ports on a large scale, whether in Gdansk or Szczecin. What does it bring for the Central European region and for Slovakia?
Poland has always been an important partner for Slovakia. At least in the past. In the times of socialism, the products of the Slovak arms industry came only through Poland. They were the only ports through which such goods could subsequently be transported to other countries. The capacity of Bulgarian and Romanian ports did not reach such a level. The Slovaks had very good cooperation with the Poles, our university students went to Poland to study maritime transport, for example. It is true that when socialism fell and everything no longer had to be transported through the “friends of socialism”, special goods began to be transported through other ports as well.
how is it today Are ports in other countries more interesting for us?
Today, Slovakia is in a situation where, when we look at the map, we find that the distance to Polish ports, compared to German and Adriatic ports, is not very different. Even though the Adriatic is closer, the quality of the network makes up for it. Slovakia is a country that uses all three types of ports. The fact that the Poles started improving and deepening their ports, improving services, is only an advantage for us.
Read more Ships, power and containers. Slovakia has its own embankment in the Polish sea port
What types are they?
These are Baltic ports, mainly in Poland. Further mentioned ports on the Adriatic such as Koper in Slovenia, Trieste in Italy and Rijeka in Croatia. And the last group are the largest and currently most important North Sea ports such as Hamburg, Bremenhaven in Germany, Rotterdam in the Netherlands or Antwerp in Belgium. Other groups of ports are used less due to the location and possible means of transport to the port.
So how do companies decide which port to find?
As freight forwarders, we must know where we are taking the goods. So I have to go with the goods first of all to the port from which the shipping company sails – the shipping company operating the ship of the country to which the shipment is to go. For example, if there are no ships going to South America from Poland at a certain interval, I have to use another port where this connection will be. If the port I’m considering offers me a quality service and there’s a ship going there that gives me a good price, and there’s a good connection, mostly by rail, then why not use it.
What goods or types of goods are the most kept from Slovakia to the ports?
I don’t know, because many Slovak products are assessed through parent foreign companies. The customs administration has a better overview.
Which goods, on the other hand, most often come from ports to Slovakia, or are they transported to other countries via Slovakia?
I don’t have the exact numbers, but certainly consumer goods and components for the production of our companies from Asia, raw materials for the metallurgical and chemical industries.
František Komora he completed his studies as a mechanical engineer at the Czech Technical University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Aeronautical Structures, later also graduated from UMB Banská Bystrica, Faculty of Economics, Department of Management and Marketing as an economic engineer and also graduated as a forensic expert in the field of shipping. He currently works as a manager of the shipping company PKZ Slovakia, spol. s ro, in which he has been since 1993. In the past, he worked as a member of the board of directors of the Regional Development Agency, as. Žilina, as the head of the information system of ČSAD Púchov and also as the head of the information system and co-founder of the transport company ADP, sro Púchov. František Komora also holds various positions, he is the president of the Slovak Logistics and Forwarding Association (since 2001), he was also the chairman of the Logistics and Forwarding Section, SOPK. Since 2005, he has been the president of the Slovak Karate and Martial Arts Federation. Later also a member of NV ICC and a member of the board of directors of the European Association of Shipping Associations Clecat.