Real-world maritime industry challenges, 24 hours of intensive work, cutting-edge technologies and artificial intelligence – that was the format of the Hackathon organised during the Polish Ports 2030+ Congress. The event was delivered by GospodarkaMorska.pl in cooperation with Red Sky, a technology studio with more than 20 years of experience in developing digital solutions and the creator of, among others, the global success RemoteMyApp, later acquired by Intel.

The two-day event, held alongside the Congress, brought together 32 students from across Poland, divided into 10 teams. Working continuously for 24 hours, participants tackled challenges prepared by Congress partners representing the ports, logistics and maritime sectors. Their objective was to develop practical solutions using modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, to improve business processes.

– This year we decided to place a particular emphasis on technology. We are living through a period of enormous transformation, and AI-based solutions are increasingly becoming part of both business and everyday life. We wanted to create an environment in which young IT specialists could tackle real challenges facing the maritime industry and propose practical solutions – said Mateusz Kowalewski, organiser of the Polish Ports 2030+ Congress and publisher of MarinePoland.com and GospodarkaMorska.pl.

Practical solutions

As Kowalewski explained, the Hackathon became a platform for cooperation between academia and representatives of business, ports, marine terminals and logistics companies. The outcome was a series of projects designed to address genuine industry needs.

The jury awarded first place to a solution developed by students from the AGH University of Kraków for Morska Agencja Gdynia (Gdynia Maritime Agency). The project received the highest marks for innovation, practical applicability and implementation potential. The application integrates data exchange between all parties involved in the logistics process—including the shipping agency, cargo owners and transport companies—with optimisation supported by AI tools.

– The Hackathon demonstrated something that is often missing at conferences—the transition from discussion to action. In just 24 hours, participants tackled real challenges facing the maritime, port and logistics industries. There was no unnecessary theory. Instead, there were genuine problems, creative ideas from young people, cooperation between specialists from different fields and the use of modern technologies to build practical solutions – commented Michał Śmigielski, President of Morska Agencja Gdynia, in a social media post.

– Events such as the Maritime Hackathon demonstrate that the maritime industry and innovation are not two separate worlds. Our goal was to bring the unique energy and agility for which Red Sky is recognised in the technology sector to the Congress, – said Damian Suchocki, organiser of the Hackathon.

– For more than 20 years we have been developing innovation as an organisation, allowing us to combine our experience with the remarkable energy and fresh perspective of the students. The participants carried out an enormous amount of technological work, while our team of mentors ensured that their ideas immediately followed commercially viable paths. What pleases us most is that the participants' work will not end as attractive portfolio presentations but has genuine potential for commercial implementation – Suchocki added.

More than just AI

According to the organisers, the greatest value of the event lay in observing young people with diverse skill sets working together to develop solutions with genuine commercial value in a very short period of time.

– It is initiatives like these that best demonstrate the true potential of innovation—not in presentations, but in action – added Michał Śmigielski.

– These kinds of implementations significantly accelerate further technological development. We are talking not only about artificial intelligence, but also about digitalisation, IT transformation, process automation, numerous aspects of the energy transition, and the digitalisation of solutions used in ports and shipyards – added Mateusz Kowalewski.

The organisers announced that technological development, process digitalisation, artificial intelligence and cooperation between industry and universities will remain among the key themes of future editions of the Polish Ports 2030+ Congress.

The Polish Ports 2030+ Congress, together with the inaugural Maritime Hackathon, has now officially concluded. The final results were:

🥇 1st place: AGH University of Kraków / AGH Skylink, led by Aleksander Kopyto

🥈 2nd place: Gdańsk University of Technology, led by Grzegorz Lange

🥉 3rd place: Maritime University of Szczecin, led by Aleksy Chojnowski