Coal dust makes life difficult for the neighbors of the port of Gdańsk. The new president makes a serious declaration

Residents of Nowy Port in Gdańsk have been complaining for months about coal dust that settles on buildings after coal trucks drive towards the port. The worst was in 2022, when the purchase of coal from Russia was suspended and the raw material flowed to us from Indonesia or Australia and was transhipped in ports.

Troublesome neighborhood

– We have always had a problem with dust from the port, but we have never had anything like this here before – Mrs. Anna, a resident of Nowy Port in Gdańsk, described in an interview with the Gdańsk “Gazeta Wyborcza”. – The floors in the house are black, I have to wash them every day. You can't open the window in the house because all the black dust gets in there. This is drama! I live near the port, where there is now a big pile of coal or something like that. It's hard to breathe in here now.

Currently, less coal passes through the port of Gdańsk, but the dust problem has not disappeared. – It is known that different goods arrive at different times. The huge coal resources that have appeared here result from the geopolitical situation. It just happened to us, it is of course related to the war taking place abroad. At some point, these large heaps of coal will disappear, then we will handle current, standard deliveries and then the problem will certainly be smaller – admitted Artur Dziambor, spokesman for the Port of Gdansk, in an interview with Radio Gdańsk in March this year.

The Port of Gdansk knows its neighbors' problems

In recent weeks, the residents of Nowy Port have been concerned by the sight of trucks leaving without any security.

– Those leaving the port carry coal, and those from leased yards in its vicinity are often loaded with post-refinery waste, which is even worse in terms of content and dust issues – explained Łukasz Hamadyk, a resident of the district, in an interview with the radio.

It was not an optical illusion: the Port of Gdansk confirmed that post-refinery waste could indeed be exported, but assured that it was “an isolated case. – I must admit that the port does not control this, because it only provides transport opportunities, and about 1.5 thousand such trucks leave the port every day, and it would be difficult for us to supervise it all – explained Dziambor.

Residents have already intervened with the port, city and even Prime Minister Donald Tusk regarding the dust that makes life difficult. There is a chance that someone will listen to their words. As reported by “Gazeta Wyborcza”, the new president of the port, Dorota Pić, announced a solution to the dust problem. This is supposed to be one of her priorities. In a letter sent to port district councils, the new port authorities called for “closing the past” and new cooperation.

The Port of Gdansk authorities also established a special team for dust nuisance and dialogue with residents and announced the organization of meetings and dialogue.

This is not the first assurance that residents have heard from the port authorities. If they give you a loan of trust, they will also set a time limit for fulfilling their promises. If they do not notice any improvement, they do not rule out blocking the access roads to the port.