October is full of events focusing on the maritime economy
October traditionally brings a series of events dedicated to the maritime economy in the Tri-City. Gdynia once again became the centre of attention for the industry, hosting the 24th Maritime Economy Forum and the 2025 edition of Wspólna Kaczka, bringing together representatives of the sector.
During the 24th edition of the Maritime Economy Forum in Gdynia, experts and representatives of key institutions discussed the challenges and directions of development in the Polish maritime economy. As part of five thematic blocks – seaports, maritime logistics, renewable energy, business in sailing, plus cybersecurity and autonomous shipping –discussions took place on both the technological and strategic issues.
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Arkadiusz Marchewka, who was present at the event, emphasised that the Forum has become a regular part in the calendar of the most important maritime industry events in Poland.
‘The Polish government chose a definite path in the context of the maritime economy. This path can be described in one word: development. And the development of the maritime economy today also means increasing security – economic, energy, military and food security’, he said.
Particularly interesting was the panel discussion ‘Technologies on course: Autonomous Systems, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Resilience in the Maritime Economy – Opportunities or Threats?’, during which experts analysed the role of artificial intelligence in the development of the sector.
Krzysztof Walczak, Head of Cybersecurity and IT Compliance at the Port of Gdańsk, emphasised the need to maintain a balance between automation and human control.
‘AI represents a huge technological progress, but it must remain under human supervision. Depending on the decisions made by the systems, responsibility must always lie with people’, he said.
Among the topics discussed were issues related to GPS signal interference, which affects the safety of work in ports. Experts stated that positioning systems are used not only in the navigation of vessels, but also in unloading and logistics processes, which makes them crucial for the safety of port infrastructure.
Wspólna Kaczka 2025: the maritime industry celebrates together
The final event of an intense week was the 25th edition of Wspólna Kaczka, an annual meeting of representatives of the maritime economy organised by the magazine, Namiary na Morze i Handel. The event was attended by over two thousand guests – representatives of administration, business and science.
The ceremony was opened by the Deputy Ministers: Jacek Karnowski (Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy) and Arkadiusz Marchewka (Ministry of Infrastructure).
‘The maritime economy connects us all, and we are committed to its development. In the next year, we are going to allocate a record budget – nearly PLN 3 billion – for investments in this sector’, announced Arkadiusz Marchewka.
The winners of the awards selected by the National Chamber of Maritime Economy, chaired by Dorota Pyć, President of the Port of Gdańsk, were announced during the gala. The Maritime University of Gdynia received the Honorary Amber Duck award for establishing a modern Offshore Centre in Gdańsk. The award was received by the rector of the university, Prof. Adam Weintrit.
This year’s events proved that the Polish maritime economy not only continues to grow dynamically, but also focuses even more on innovation, sustainable development and safety.
