Located near the Wisłoujście Fortress in Gdańsk, the Maritime University Offshore Centre in Gdynia has officially begun its activities. The centre will be home to the UMG Maritime Institute and the UMG Offshore Wind Energy Centre. The new research and education unit will carry out research and development work for the needs of the maritime industry.

Deputy Infrastructure Minister Arkadiusz Marchewka, who was present at the opening ceremony, emphasised that offshore wind energy is a rapidly growing field and a strategic direction for energy transformation that strengthens our country’s energy security.

“It is a priority of the Ministry of Infrastructure to continuously strive for further development of the University’s potential and to strengthen its position as a centre that will train future personnel who will provide invaluable support for the Polish and global maritime economy”, the deputy minister.

The centre will become a research and education facility for the country’s offshore wind energy sector. The building will house top-class accredited laboratories adapted to the requirements of a modern maritime economy: geotechnical, ecological, and electronic industries. The centre also provides storage for equipment and measurement equipment with a total area of 440 m2 and a height of 7.5 m, as well as a modern disk array with a capacity of 1.0 PB.

The investment, with a total value of PLN 64 million, was carried out with funding from the European Union. It consists of two two-storey buildings with a total usable area of 5,500 m2, connected at 1st floor level. Ultimately, there will be approximately 200 workstations.

The Maritime University of Gdynia has for years been a leader in the Polish offshore market in the field of environmental studies and the execution of environmental, geophysical, geological and geotechnical documentation for offshore investments, particularly with regard to wind energy.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński