JULY 31, 2013 — Poland's Ministry of the Treasury says that the shipbuilding industry is an important part of the national economy and that "even today, observing the activities of shipyards in Poland (Crist, Gdańsk Shiprepair Yard), it is obvious that shipbuilding can be profitable."

Poland's Industrial Development Agency (IDA), which is supervised by the ministry, has been involved in the restructuring process of the sector for many years. Now the ministry sees the need to step up the activity of IDA to protect  existing shipbuilding jobs and create new ones.

Shipyards, operating in a competitive market, must respond flexibly the emerging opportunities and threats. This is a necessary condition for the survival of both the yards and other entities. The observed trends at Polish shipyards show that it is necessary to diversify the shipbuilding activities. Increasing importance is attached to the ability to compete in the offshore and oil & gas markets. In order to meet the competition, it is also necessary to proceed with consolidation of entities, as is currently the case for Szczecin Shiprepair Yard Gryfia and Morska Shiprepair Yard.

The work undertaken is to result in building a sustainable competitive position on the shipbuilding market and protecting the potential of shipyards.

The Ministry has published a presentation [in Polish] describing current situation in the shipbuilding market in Poland, the proposed measures in the sector and the IDA Group's strategy in this regard. The presentation also shows the measures undertaken by IDA in respect to Gdańsk Shiprepair Yard and the directions of the Polish shipbuilding industry.

If your Polish is up to it, you can download it HERE