At De Plelo Street, in the vicinity of Wisłoujście Fortress in Gdańsk, the Offshore Centre building is being built, which will house the new headquarters of the Maritime Institute and the Offshore Wind Energy Centre of the Gdynia Maritime University. The building itself is nearing completion.

Construction started in mid-2021. The Offshore Centre is to consist of two two-story buildings, connected on the first floor. The progress of works has already exceeded 70%.

– A new headquarters of the Maritime Institute is being built at De Plelo Street. We are in the final stage of construction. According to the schedule, construction should be completed in June this year. Acceptances are waiting for us after the construction is completed. We expect that at the end of this year, at the latest at the beginning of next year, the new headquarters will be ready for relocation – reports Dr hab. Maciej Matczak, Prof. UMG, director of the Maritime Institute, under whose auspices the Offshore Centre will operate.

According to the Gdynia Maritime University, finishing works inside the buildings are underway, as well as the installation of doors and ceilings. On the outside, the façade is completed and electrical and sanitary installations as well as elements of smoke and fire protection systems are installed. Work related to cleaning and arranging the surroundings of the building should start at any moment – construction of pavements, roads and parking lots, as well as fencing.

The Offshore Centre will be the headquarters of the Maritime Institute and the Offshore Wind Energy Centre, both being parts of Gdynia Maritime University. Due to the function of the institutions that will be in the building, an extremely important element of its location is the direct access to the Wisłoujście Quay with a total length of approx. 500 meters, of which 200 meters is a transshipment quay with a load capacity of 20 kN/m2.

- Access to the quay is a very important element of the location of the Offshore Centre, because we will have direct access to the ship. I want to emphasize that the use of watercraft is crucial for the implementation of environmental research. We collect a lot of samples at sea, so they must be sent directly to the laboratories – says Dr. Matczak.

In two buildings there will be not only laboratories, but also administrative, workshop and social facilities as well as warehouses for devices and measuring equipment. About 200 people will work here.

– The main area of activity of the Maritime Institute is conducting environmental research, mainly for companies from the offshore sector. The Offshore Centre will be the location of all the resources of the Maritime Institute, including accredited laboratories and measuring equipment. It will be a place where environmental research for the offshore sector will be comprehensively carried out – says the director of the Maritime Institute.

Although the construction itself is to be completed in the middle of this year, the Maritime Institute will not move there immediately. Appropriate building equipment will be necessary.

– The limitation we are currently facing is the space for the development of laboratories. The new headquarters will allow us to increase our capabilities, purchase new equipment, thanks to which our research will be carried out faster and more efficiently. And time is a very important element when it comes to investments of such importance, such as offshore wind energy. We want to provide our services in an efficient manner and provide our clients with the results of the research we are conducting as soon as possible – explains Dr. Maciej Matczak.

The value of the investment together with the equipment is estimated at approx. PLN 60 million.

The Maritime Institute of the Gdynia Maritime University is one of the most important institutions for the emerging Polish offshore sector. The specialists of the Institute were involved in environmental studies of all currently conducted projects in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea.

– It can be said that we took an active part in the implementation of all currently developed projects in the Polish offshore. I emphasize that we deal with environmental research. We have contact and work for all investors and developers who are active on the Polish market today. We expect the next locations, which are currently being discussed and awarded, will also be the place where the Maritime Institute will carry out research work – says the director of the Institute.

Experts from the Maritime Institute of the Maritime University of Gdynia have also developed a widely commented proposal for further locations of offshore wind farms in Polish waters.

– This is the so-called third stage, but it is currently in the phase of expert analysis. The report we prepared showed what the potential opportunities are. The implementation of this plan requires a lot of analytical and consulting work – says dr hab. Maciej Matczak.