## 2 Characteristics of the Swinoujscie--Szczecin Waterway  
The Swinoujscie-Szczecin fairway is an artificial waterway that is 67.35 km long and about 250 m wide. It runs from the approach fairway at the anchorage in the Pomeranian Bay, through the Swina river in Swinoujscie, the Mielinski Canal, the Piast Canal, the Szzecin Lagoon, and the Oda River (Szeroki Nurt, Domiaza), to the seaport in Police, and further to Szczecin [33; 34] (Figure 1). The port in Swinoujscie can accommodate ships with a draft of up to 13.5 m and a length of up to 270 m. In the southern part of the port, there is a ferry terminal--a leader in ferry connections with Scandinavia. The port in Swinoujscie also has a terminal dedicated to handling mainly dry bulk cargo. Meanwhile, the northern part of this port is an outer port with infrastructure for servicing LNG fuel ships. The port in Szczecin is located over 67 km away from the sea. The passage from the port in Swinoujscie to Szczecin takes approximately 4 h. The port can accommodate vessels with a draft of up to 9.15 m and a length of 215 m.  
The port in Szczecin has a universal character and serves both general and bulk cargo. The port's specialization is the handling and storage of containers, steel products, oversized cargo, as well as paper and cellulose. The port in Szczecin is the largest center for handling granite blocks in Poland. It also handles dry bulk cargoes such as coal, coke, aggregates, cereals, fertilizers, and liquid cargoes, including those requiring special storage and handling conditions, such as tar. The Port of Police is the fourth largest port in Poland in terms of cargo handling volume. Approximately 2.0 million tons of cargo are handled here annually. The Port of Police consists of four terminals for the handling of bulk goods such as phosphates, apatites, ilmenite ore, potash salt, fertilizers, ammonia, and sulfuric acid:  
Figure 1: Layout of Swinoujscie–Szczecin waterway [35]. * The Police Port Morski is a two-bethuq way with a length of 415 m and a construction depth of 12.5 m, functionally divided into a berth for unloading raw materials equipped with two gantry cranes and a berth for fertilizers. In addition, the quay has a covered warehouse (2000 m\({}^{2}\)) and storage areas covering an area of 5000 m\({}^{2}\). The operational depth of the quay is 10.5 m, allowing for the largest ships that can pass through the waterway to Szczecin, i.e., ships with a length of 160 m and a draught of 9.15 m or a length of 206 m and a draught of 8.15 m.
* Port Barkowy has 3 quays with a total length of 791 m and an operational depth of 4.5 m. It serves barges and ships up to 120 m in length and 4 m in draft. * The \"Mijanka\" quay has a total length of 286 m (between the outermost dolphins) and a ship depth of up to 9.15 m and is designed for the transshipment of liquid products. It is equipped with an ammonia transfer point with a maximum capacity of 600 t/h. * The fourth terminal, in Jasienica on the Gunica River, is used for mooring inland vessels, and the waterways leading to it are used for commercial and tourist navigation. The Swinoujscie-Szczecin waterway is a crucial transportation corridor in the Baltic Sea region, linking the coastal city of Swinoujscie to the inland city of Szczecin in Poland. This waterway serves as a gateway to the Oder River, which further connects to the Havel and Elbe rivers, forming an extensive network of inland waterways that span across Central and Eastern Europe. The economic significance of the Swinoujscie-Szczecin waterway can be elaborated in several aspects:  
1. Trade and shipping: As a major navigable route, the waterway facilitates the movement of goods between the Baltic Sea and inland European markets. It supports the export and import of various commodities, including raw materials, agricultural products, and manufactured goods. The Port of Szczecin and the Port of Swinoujscie are strategically located along this route, handling millions of tons of cargo annually. 2.