ABSTRACT
Transit traffic through Polish ports was always of considerable significance to the Polish maritime sector as Poland was conveniently located with a long Baltic coastline, and bordered by two socialist countries - Hungary and Czechoslovakia - and one non-CMEA country - Austria. After the second world war, Poland began to show some interest in a role as transit provider, and in particular in facilitating imports and exports for Czechoslovakia. Transit traffic was given its first, formal boost in 1958 with the establishment of a Special Commission for Overland and Seaborne Transit by the Prime Minister of Poland, from January 18th. By 1960, Szczecin had once again shown continuing growth in transit goods amounting by then to over 74" of the total transit in Polish ports. In 1988, transit increased by 6.4" and was characterised in particular, by an 11.6" rise in petroleum.
