1st International Maritime Congress

What gave Szczecin a jolt to enhance its appeal as a port was the 1st International Maritime Congress organised in June jointly by the Northern Chamber of Commerce and Polsteam (Polska Żegluga Morska, PŻM) in cooperation with the City of Szczecin. Bringing together such a large group of the maritime industry representatives at large, the event proved unprecedented. With five thematic blocks, fifty speakers and five hundred guests, it offered an opportunity for a dialogue between different social groups, business, scientific and advisory groups, and also expert groups and artistic communities.

The discussions spanned a full spectrum of issues related to the maritime economy, including not only shipyards, ports and ship transport, but also the power industry, fishery, processing, inland ship transport, as well as science. The Congress was divided into 34 discussion panels across five socio-economic areas: City Management, The Quality of Life, Innovative Economy, Expanding the Field of Culture, and The Public Space of the City. Among the issues discussed during the meeting were the outlooks for the maritime economy against global economic developments. Particular emphasis was placed on the shipyard industry, including the position of repair shipyards within the Baltic Sea basin and offshore production as a new field that the Polish shipyards have begun to specialise in.

The aim of the Congress was to gain a better understanding of how different domains of science, administration and the maritime industry are interrelated, and to use this knowledge in the future. Given the international nature of this event, the conclusions pertaining to the economy, science and maritime administration had a global slant. Janusz Piechociński, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, talked about creating a special economic zone that would contain the adjective “maritime” in its name. He suggested undertaking measures towards restoring the navigability of the River Oder and the capacity of the roads that run along it: “It is about time the Szczecin and Świnoujście ports once again became a viable option for the transit from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria,” he said.

Paweł Szynkaruk, General Director of PŻM, made a point that the hosts’ core aim was to go beyond clichés, as the maritime economy is not only about ports, shipyards and commercial navigation, its influence extending far beyond what we typically assume. It is also closely related to tourism, environmental protection and food processing. “We want to talk about not only what we succeeded in, but also what problems and issues we are facing,” he said.

In general, the attendees, hosts and guests shared the opinion that the event was a success of Szczecin and the maritime economy, although it will take time for any measurable results to be brought about as a result of this Congress.

The participants developed a list of issues to be addressed by the government. A letter in a bottle was sent to the Prime Minister, in which the maritime industry representatives proposed 30 theses. These are, in essence, matters to be addressed by the government.