Struggle continues for domination of Polish-German ferry crossing business
The Szczecin maritime authorities decided yesterday that German ferries
operating between the Polish harbor town of Nowe Warpno and German Altwarp
on the Szczecin bay may no longer enter the Polish harbor. Official reason
given for Szczecin's decision was that German ferries are not certified to
operate on the open sea and as such are not allowed to enter Polish harbors.
Under Polish law, all vessels operating here must be certified for open-sea
operations. It is widely thought that the decision to ban the ferries came
in retaliation to the Germans' decision on Friday to close the harbor in
Altwarp to all Polish ferries, allegedly because they lacked certain
required documents. Observers say the latest move is just one of a series of
tactics carried out by Germany's Adler and Poland's Zegluga Pomorska
charterers in a two-year struggle for control of the lucrative business of
ferrying over 2 million visitors a year across the 900-meter wide waterway.
(Rzeczpospolita, p.A3) J.K.
