New Access Rules for the Polish Quay in 2025

The End of the First-Come-First-Served Rule

For the last 8 years, the Polish Quay operated based on flexible notifications, where the order of a ship's arrival at the port often decided the speed of unloading. From January 2025, this arrangement ceases to exist. The port authority is focusing on prioritizing strategic cargo and containerized general cargo, which for smaller entities means having to fight for free slots well in advance. If you are more than 4 hours late with your notification, your place will be taken by the next vessel on the waiting list, with no right to complain on that business day.

In quayside practice, this means that forwarders operating ro-ro cargo and heavy general cargo must adapt their schedules to new 14-day planning cycles. Previously, notification 3 days before the planned approach was enough, but the new regulations require full cargo documentation at the initial slot booking stage. This change aims to smooth traffic in Basin IV, where last year 47 cases of waterway blockage by poorly coordinated commercial vessels were recorded.

For transport companies serving the port in Gdynia, monitoring the e-Port system in real-time will be crucial. We have already seen the draft of the new guidelines, and it clearly shows that the margin of error for notifications will be limited to 45 minutes. Any exceeding of this time results in an automatic move to the end of the queue, which at current quay occupancy can mean up to 38 hours of downtime for a single ship. Facts matter, and the facts are that the port will no longer wait for latecomers.

New Laytime Fee System

The introduction of rigid time slots is directly linked to a new tariff of penalties for unjustified quay occupancy. From February 2025, every hour spent at the Polish Quay beyond the declared unloading time will cost the shipowner 1820 PLN net. This is a 23% increase compared to 2024 rates. The port authority argues this decision is necessary to increase cargo rotation; however, for owners of smaller vessels, these are hard charter terms that can significantly affect the profitability of a single voyage.

Analyzing the new clauses, we noticed one important detail: fees will not be charged in case of port equipment failure, but the burden of proof now rests entirely on the shipowner's shoulders. You will need to present a technical report signed by the crane operator within 1.5 hours of the breakdown. Without unnecessary talk — if you don't oversee the paperwork on-site, the laytime invoice will be issued automatically by the port's IT system.

The margin of error for notifications will be limited to 45 minutes, and every hour of delay costs 1820 PLN net.

ZM-2025 Documentation and New Forms

Along with the new rules, an updated ZM-2025 form template comes into force, replacing previous applications for infrastructure access. This form contains 12 new fields regarding the exact specification of dangerous goods and the ADR certification of drivers picking up the goods. Forwarders have until December 20th to train their operational teams on the new notification interface. It is worth noting that the old system will stop accepting notifications exactly at midnight on New Year's Eve.

From our observations, the most problematic section is the Verified Gross Mass (VGM). In the new regulations, the port requires this data to be consistent with port scale readings with 0.5% accuracy. If the difference between the declaration and the actual state is greater, the port has the right to refuse acceptance of the goods at the storage yard. This is not a drill — in November, tests were conducted on 14 vessels, and only 9 passed verification the first time without document corrections.

Practical Preparation for Changes

How then should a company prepare for the upcoming January? First, all agreements with transport subcontractors must be reviewed. If your carriers cannot guarantee vehicle arrival within a 2-hour window, you risk losing your quay slot. At Gdynia Maritime Dialogue, we recommend implementing internal documentation readiness audits 48 hours before each planned port operation. We have already helped 38 clients adapt their procedures to these rigorous requirements, focusing on specific numbers and deadlines.

The second issue is communication with the Port Officer's office. The new rules provide that every change in the unloading plan must be reported electronically with acknowledgment of receipt. A phone call to a friendly dispatcher is no longer enough. The system must record the change to avoid automatic penalty calculation. These are hard conditions, but they allow for the avoidance of the chaos that often prevailed at the Polish Quay during autumn transshipment peaks in previous years.

The system must record every change in the unloading plan. A call to the dispatcher is no longer enough.

Conclusions for Local Forwarders

For local companies from Gdynia and the surrounding area that have operated at the Polish Quay for years, 2025 will be a test of operational efficiency. Although the changes seem drastic, they aim to professionalize general cargo handling and bring Gdynia's standards closer to ports like Rotterdam or Hamburg. Precision is the key to surviving this transformation. Every document, every hour of crane work, and every truck entry into the port area must now be part of one, carefully planned machine.

At Gdynia Maritime Dialogue, we will monitor the implementation of these regulations in the first quarter of the year. Our experience shows that the first 3 weeks of January will be the hardest, as the system undergoes a stabilization phase. Stay alert, check Port Authority announcements daily at 9:00 AM, and do not leave notifications until the last minute. If you need a specific analysis of your contracts regarding the new regulations, contact us to set a date for a 20-minute consultation.