SEA PORTS PANEL

Leader: Michał Śmigielski
Chairman of the Council of Stakeholders of the Port of Gdynia

 

Are current investments in Polish seaports capable of meeting the needs of a rapidly changing international market environment?

What kind of ports will the Polish economy need in 10–20 years? Do the investments currently underway and those planned for the future correspond to the actual needs of the market and the development trends of the maritime economy?

The panel will take an open and practical approach. The discussion will focus on specific investments and projects being implemented in Polish ports – from the largest facilities to regional and small ports. Key market segments will be addressed, including energy and LNG, offshore wind, bulk cargo and the agri-sector, Ro-Ro and ferry transport, the container market, as well as new port functions and markets – including the production of offshore wind components, industrial investments, and potential extraction projects.

An important topic will be the future of regional and small seaports, as well as the question of whether new port concepts are always justified when existing infrastructure offers opportunities for further expansion.

The panelists will also discuss the specialization of Polish ports. Should each port develop all major market segments, or should future strategy take greater account of their location, infrastructure, economic hinterland, and actual market needs?

Finally, the panelists will consider the broader question of how the entire system should operate: should Polish ports primarily compete with one another, or should they cooperate to create a coordinated system capable of effectively competing with the largest ports in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region?

Panelists

  • Piotr Gorzeński – President of the Management Board of the Port of Gdynia Authority S.A.

  • Alan Aleksandrowicz - Vice President of the Board of  of the Port of Gdańsk Authority S.A.

  • Artur Lijewski – President of the Management Board of the Port of Kołobrzeg Ltd.

  • Jarosław Siergiej – President of the Management Board of the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority

  • Kamil Pach – Deputy Mayor of the Władysławowo Municipality

  • Marcin Białek – Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

1) Jacek Sadaj - Prezes Zarządu Morskiego Portu Gdynia
2) Krzysztof Urbaś - Prezes Zarządu Morskich Portów Szczecin-Świnoujście
3) Łukasz Malinowski - Prezes Zarządu Morskiego Portu Gdańsk
4) Rafał Czyżyk - Prawnik, Kancelaria CMW Legal, specjalista w zakresie prawa związanego z gospodarką morską
5) Marek Klabacha - Prezes Zarządu Rhenus Polska
6) Jan Jarmakowski - Prezes Zarządu Gdynia Container Terminal

 

INFORMATION ABOUT THE PANEL LEADER

Michał Śmigielski has been working at Morska Agencja Gdynia since 2000 and was appointed President of the Management Board of MAG in 2017.

Since December 2025, he has served as Chairman of the Port of Gdynia Stakeholders’ Council.

Throughout his professional career, he has been actively involved in logistics projects supporting some of Poland’s largest investments across various sectors of the economy, including conventional energy and the chemical industry. His recent projects include Olefiny 3 and Polimery Police, while earlier, between 2006 and 2012, he coordinated the transportation of drilling equipment for Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (now Exalo).

Since 2008, he has specialized in the logistics of onshore wind farms, primarily port handling operations and the transportation of wind turbine components.

Between 2010 and 2025, MAG’s share of the Polish market for port handling operations related to onshore wind farms exceeded 90%.

Since the early stages of offshore wind development in Poland, he has actively participated in specialist working groups focusing on port logistics.

From 2021 to 2023, he served as Coordinator of Group IV of the Offshore Wind Sector Agreement established by the Ministry of Climate, focusing on port logistics for offshore wind farms and their impact on coastal regions.

From 2019 to 2023, he was Head of the Port Group of the Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA).

He also lectures at Gdańsk University of Technology, teaching port logistics as part of postgraduate studies in offshore wind energy.

Morska Agencja Gdynia is one of the few Polish companies actively involved in the logistics of the first offshore wind farms being developed in Poland’s Baltic Sea Exclusive Economic Zone.

In recent years, the participation of Polish companies in the development of offshore wind farms has been a recurring topic in presentations delivered by President Michał Śmigielski at industry conferences and panel discussions organized by sector associations and other organizations involved in Poland’s energy transition.