THE SEAPORT OF GDANSK AS THE HUB OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE

The analysis of the main characteristics of the port of Gdansk (Poland) has been made. The geographical location, the strong and weak economic sides, the main stages of its development, as well as the main cargo transshipment have been studied: (1) as a distribution center, the port of Gdansk is becoming a major link in the Trans-European sea-lane connecting Scandinavia with the South-Eastern Europe; (2) in recent years, the cargo turn-over of the port has significantly increased: annual growth was 10.2%, reaching 35.91 mln tons in 2015; (3) DCT Gdansk is the only port in the Baltic Sea, technical characteristics of which make it possible to accommodate Triple-E container carriers with a depth to the point of 16.5 m. There was concluded whether the port refers to the definition of the port hub.