DEC bids for concession to transport chemicals by rail

Rail tanker operator Dyrekcja Eksploatacji Cystern (DEC) hopes to obtain by the end of the month a concession to transport chemicals and petroleum-based products. "We hope the market can be freed and there will be a place for other carriers, besides PKP," said Jacek Wilkoszewski, vice president of DEC. Wilkoszewski went on to explain that the company plans to use its own or rented tankers, and will pay for access to the railways. However, DEC faces competition in its bid for the Transport Ministry concession from PKN Orlen and Rafineria Gdanska. DEC is currently implementing an ambitious expansion strategy that will see it enter the markets of Western Europe. In March, American concern GATX became the strategic investor in DEC, and has subsequently increased the company's capital by zl.45 million, from zl.154 million to zl.199 million. Even a failure to obtain the Transport Ministry concession would not be a fatal blow to DEC's development. The company has plans to expand into freight services, either by creating its own subsidiary or by taking over an existing company. (Puls Biznesu, p. 4) P.W.