The last meeting of the members of the Polish Maritime Technology Forum (PFTM) this year, which took place on December 12, was an opportunity to sum up another year of the organization's activity, rich in events and initiatives.

The meeting was divided into three parts. First, those willing gathered at the construction site of the Baltic Towers wind tower factory on Ostrów Island in Gdańsk. They were shown around the plant under construction by the CEO of Baltic Towers, Jakub Wnuczyński, and construction manager Radosław Guziński from Erbud, the contractor of the project. PFTM members could see with their own eyes where a key part of the infrastructure of Polish offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea will be built.

- The plant has 6.2 hectares of roofed area and over 9 hectares of storage space, which is a key advantage in this type of activity. The maximum diameter of the wind tower section that we are able to produce is 11 meters and weighs up to 500 tons. Currently, standard elements have a diameter of 8 meters and weigh 253 tons, but the plant is prepared for the needs of future generations of turbines - announced Jakub Wnuczyński.

After the study visit, the meeting participants moved to the nearby Hilton Hotel, where the official part of the event took place. Mateusz Kowalewski, President of PFTM, welcomed all members, introduced those who joined in the past year, and read a letter from the Deputy Minister of Maritime Economy Arkadiusz Marchewka addressed to the members of the organization. A video summarizing the most important events in the maritime economy in the past year was also shown.

President Kowalewski presented the initiatives in which PFTM participated in 2024. There is no denying that it was a very successful and intensive time in terms of PFTM's involvement in maritime industry events both in Poland and around the world. The forum was attended by, among others: at the Posidonia fair in Athens, the SMM fair in Hamburg, during which it organized a barge cruise for its members, and at the Europort fair in Istanbul. Traditionally, PFTM's flagship conference at sea, "Rejs z GospodarkaMorska.pl", also took place. The president also lifted the veil of secrecy regarding PFTM's activities in the next year, which already promises to be no less intensive.

- Currently, our association has 72 members and is developing dynamically. We can safely say that we are the largest association of the shipbuilding industry in Poland. What's more, the prospects are promising - we are already receiving announcements of the accession of other key companies, which indicates further growth and development of our activities. In 2025, we are also planning to be very active in organizing member meetings and joint participation in conferences and fairs. Today I can already declare our participation in the Baltexpo fair in Gdańsk, under the joint PFTM banner. We will also be active when it comes to foreign events. We are talking about the Norshipping fair in Oslo, Inmex SMM in India and Europort in Rotterdam – says Mateusz Kowalewski.

The gathered guests could listen to four presentations prepared especially for this event. Jakub Wnuczyński from Baltic Towers presented more detailed information about the factory he had visited earlier and its plans for the development of the Polish offshore wind sector. He announced that 150 towers will leave Baltic Towers per year and 500 people will be employed in the new plant.

Beata Koniarska, Vice President of PGZ Stocznia Wojennej, had the opportunity to present the key aspects of the shipyard's development to the PFTM members, emphasizing its transition from repairs and modernization to ambitious new constructions. She also presented a modern hull hall, created specifically for the construction of three "Miecznik" vessels for the Polish Navy.

- I think that this is a good moment, because we are all here together, to appeal: shipyards cannot operate in isolation. Only if we act together, will we be able to truly develop as Poland and as the Polish shipbuilding industry, and also be a supplier of ships for other allied navies.

Małgorzata Mnich-Kamińska, Project Manager Baltexpo, presented plans for the upcoming maritime fair next year, which is to gather even more exhibitors than the previous edition, which was attended by over 200 exhibitors from 15 countries, and the total number of visitors reached about 6.5 thousand people.

During the presentation, Krzysztof Wojtowicz, partner at Deloitte and tax advisory expert, presented the current challenges and opportunities in the field of funds and taxes for the shipbuilding industry. He emphasized that the funds from the KPO, despite the restrictions, remain available to the industry on the same terms as for other entrepreneurs, but their use is often difficult due to short deadlines for submitting applications.

The Polish Maritime Technology Forum was founded in 2019 and currently has 72 members. The organization's slogan is "Together we create business". The association is developing dynamically, with an increasing number of entities from the broadly understood shipbuilding industry joining it, both shipowners and shipyards, as well as contractors and suppliers of shipbuilding equipment.

During the meeting, the founding members did not hide their pride in what has been achieved so far. Together, they emphasized how important it is to have a platform for exchanging experiences and information about the current market situation.

– When establishing this association, we thought about creating a more informal forum that would focus on its members cooperating as much as possible. We did not only want to celebrate, but also to create a platform that allows not only large companies from the shipbuilding industry to meet, but above all also smaller companies – emphasizes Jadwiga Sztelwander-Zięba, vice president of the board of PFTM.

The forum serves as a platform enabling cooperation between various entities operating in the maritime industry, which allows for finding a common language between enterprises and specialists from various fields.

– Over the five years of its activity, we have certainly managed to achieve that it is an organization that resembles an association that tries to find a common language for various enterprises or professions that participate in the maritime or shipbuilding industry. Finally, this industry has become visible and needed not only for the region, but also for the country – says Andrzej Syldatk, president of An-Elec.

The visit of representatives of the shipbuilding industry to the headquarters of the future plant producing towers for offshore wind farms brought reflections on how the entire maritime industry and its various sectors interpenetrate and must cooperate in order to strengthen the region and ensure security in the Baltic Sea. Only through the integration of all elements of the maritime industry is its dynamic development and full use of its potential possible.

- Through cooperation between various industries, we are able to strengthen ourselves, but also, as in the case of offshore wind farms, the security of our country. In this case, shipyards have a very important role to play, because we can build ships and vessels to support security in the Baltic Sea - adds Beata Koniarska.

The meeting ended with a ceremonial, joint dinner of the members, during which they had the opportunity to exchange Christmas and New Year wishes and sum up the passing year, and thanks to networking, start planning the upcoming one.

- As owners and managers of companies, we rush through life and it is difficult to find a longer moment for family and for ourselves. The Christmas period is certainly such a time, so let's make the most of it. And of course, I wish everyone success in the coming New Year. For the Polish Maritime Technology Forum 2025 will also be a very active year, so I invite all interested parties to join our organization - adds Mateusz Kowalewski.