Scientists from the Polish Academy of Sciences warn that without a modern research vessel, Poland may lose its position in international ocean research. The government has allocated nearly one billion PLN for the construction of two new vessels – a sailing ship for the Maritime University in Gdynia and a training and research ship for the Maritime University of Technology in Szczecin. This decision has been sharply criticized by the scientific community, which has for years been calling for a successor to the aging Oceania.
Prof. Jan Marcin Węsławski from the Institute of Oceanology PAS and Prof. Dariusz Jemielniak, Vice President of PAS, emphasize that marine and polar research requires a specialized vessel, not training ships that do not meet scientific requirements. Scientists warn that the lack of such infrastructure threatens the continuity of Baltic monitoring, research in Spitsbergen and Antarctica, as well as on Poland’s geological concession areas in the Atlantic and Pacific.
Key message from scientists: 'You cannot keep doing science with cardboard and duct tape' – Poland needs a new, dedicated research vessel.
Seas and oceans act as a gigantic climate buffer – absorbing as much as one quarter of global CO₂ emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change. In an interview, scientists from the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Sopot explain how the biological carbon pump works and why ocean research is essential. They highlight the importance of Polish teams in international projects, the challenges of collecting and sharing data, and the urgent need for stable funding and modern research infrastructure.
On October 7, 2025, the research vessel s/y Oceania recovered a Biogeochemical Argo (BGC) float from the waters of the Gdansk Bay. This autonomic research instrument had been operating in the Gdansk Basin for two years, performing profiles from the surface to the seabed every two days and transmitting via satellite data on temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll-a, suspended particles, and light fields within the water column.
The BGC Argo float was deployed by the Argo-Poland consortium, led by the Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences (IOPAN). Argo-Poland is a member of the Euro-Argo ERIC research infrastructure consortium.
The recovery was particularly challenging due to depleted batteries, unfavourable weather, and the float’s significant drift away from its deployment site; Argo floats are free drifting instruments without propulsion. Favourable water circulation patterns, monitored by the modelling team, eventually brought the float back into a suitable area, and coordinated efforts of the ship’s scientific and navigational crews enabled its safe recovering.
The experience gained will be valuable in developing a permanent Southern Baltic monitoring system based on Argo floats.
In Forum Akademickie an article by Prof. Jan Marcin Wesławski, Director of the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, was published, addressing the government’s decision to build two training vessels instead of a single modern research vessel.
The professor points out that training vessels will not be able to fully replace a specialized research unit, particularly in the field of oceanographic measurements, deep-sea studies, or environmental monitoring. He emphasizes that such a decision may limit the capacity of Polish institutes to participate in international research projects.
The Director of the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Sopot, Prof. Jan Marcin Węsławski, in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza, commented on the government’s decision to build two training ships for maritime universities in Gdynia and Szczecin. He emphasized that investing in training vessels cannot replace the modern research ship that Poland urgently needs to carry out oceanic and polar studies. The professor pointed out that a research vessel is a key tool for understanding climate change and for building the international prestige of Polish science.
Join us on 26 September at the Sopot pier, where during the Pomeranian Science Night we will showcase the fascinating world of marine organisms. We will install underwater light sources to attract sea creatures, and an underwater camera will display them live on a large screen set up on the pier. Some organisms will be collected using dredges and plankton nets, then shown in tanks and under stereomicroscopes. The event will be enriched with stories from our marine ecology experts.
This is a unique opportunity to look into the depths of the Baltic Sea and discover its biodiversity up close.
Entrance to the pier during the event is free (ticket available below).
