Poland has a long and dynamic history in the shipbuilding industry. The shipbuilding industry in Poland was affected by social and political changes in the late 1980s since most of Poland’s shipyards were owned by the State. Ship completions declined following the 2008 financial crisis and the withdrawal of government subsidies to state-owned shipyards in line with the EU’s state aid rules. Poland’s market share in global ship completions peaked at 2.6% in 2000 and decreased sharply in the 2010s to reach 0.1% in 2020. Since 2009, Polish shipyards have moved from the construction of new ships to ship repair and maintenance. Gdansk Shiprepair Yard Remontowa S.A. is the largest repair shipyard in Europe. The Ministry of Infrastructure announced the Strategy for Responsible Development (SRD) for enhancing the competitiveness of Polish shipbuilding industry in 2017. The Strategy focuses on increasing research and development investments, the modernization of shipyards, and the increase of employment in the sector. As in many other economies, labour and skills shortages have become one of the main challenges for the shipbuilding industry in Poland.
