Polish seaports recorded higher cargo turnover and a larger number of vessel calls in 2025, while overall passenger traffic declined, according to data from Statistics Poland (GUS). In international transport, both the volume of cargo carried by Polish maritime operators and the number of passengers increased. At the same time, Poland’s maritime and coastal transport fleet was smaller at the end of 2025 than a year earlier.
Cargo turnover in Polish seaports reached 128 million tonnes in 2025. This was 3.1% more than in 2024. The strongest increases were recorded in Szczecin, where turnover rose by 10.8%, Świnoujście, with growth of 7.2%, and Gdańsk, where cargo turnover increased by 6%. Declines were reported in Gdynia, where turnover fell by 11.7%, and in Police, where it was 1.7% lower than a year earlier.
Gdańsk remained the largest Polish seaport by cargo turnover, accounting for 58.8% of the national total. It was followed by Gdynia with a 16% share, Świnoujście with 15.4%, Szczecin with 8.6% and Police with 0.8%. Other ports jointly accounted for 0.4% of total cargo turnover.
Liquid bulk cargo remains the largest category
Liquid bulk cargo dominated the structure of port handling in 2025, accounting for 43.9% of total cargo turnover. Within this category, crude oil and petroleum products played the largest role, representing 36.7% of all cargo handled in Polish seaports.
Dry bulk cargo accounted for 23.5% of turnover, including coal and coke at 7%. Large containers represented 20.7% of total cargo turnover.
Compared with 2024, turnover increased in general cargo, large containers, ro-ro cargo and liquid bulk cargo. The strongest rise was recorded in other general cargo, where handling volumes increased by 12%. Large container turnover rose by 8.6%, ro-ro cargo by 3.3% and liquid bulk cargo by 1.9%. The only decline was recorded in dry bulk cargo, where turnover fell by 0.8%.
Domestic maritime turnover almost doubles
Domestic maritime turnover reached 8.6 million tonnes in 2025, up 93.8% from the previous year. It accounted for 6.7% of total cargo turnover in Polish seaports. International maritime turnover amounted to 119.4 million tonnes, which was 0.3% lower than in 2024.
Most international cargo handled by Polish ports was linked to European ports, which accounted for 65.3% of international turnover. African ports represented 15.6%, North and South American ports 13.3%, Asian ports 5.4%, and Australia and Oceania 0.5%.
Transit cargo also increased. Total transit turnover reached 24.7 million tonnes, 14% more than in 2024. Gdańsk handled the largest share of transit cargo, accounting for 65.7% of the total. Świnoujście followed with 25.9%, Szczecin with 5.9% and Gdynia with 2.5%. The main countries in sea-land and land-sea transit through Polish ports were Germany, Czechia and Slovakia.
Passenger traffic falls overall, but international traffic rises
Passenger traffic in Polish seaports was lower than a year earlier. In 2025, 2.4 million passengers began or ended their journey in Polish ports, down 2.7% compared with 2024.
Domestic passenger traffic amounted to 602,600 people, a decrease of 13.9%. International passenger traffic, however, increased by 1.9% to 1.8 million passengers. Sweden remained by far the most important destination in international passenger traffic, accounting for 99.8% of the total.
In 2025, 20,300 ships called at Polish seaports, compared with 20,000 a year earlier. Their combined gross tonnage reached 312.2 million GT, 3.4% more than in 2024. Their deadweight tonnage amounted to 236 million tonnes DWT, up 4.7%.
Maritime transport fleet shrinks
At the end of 2025, Poland’s maritime transport fleet consisted of 83 vessels, six fewer than a year earlier. The total deadweight tonnage of the fleet stood at 2,499.5 thousand tonnes DWT, while gross tonnage amounted to 1,852.9 thousand GT. Compared with 2024, this represented an 8.7% decrease in deadweight tonnage and an 11% decline in gross tonnage.
Ships flying the Polish flag accounted for 15.7% of all vessels in the maritime transport fleet. There were 13 such ships, with a combined deadweight tonnage of 18,000 tonnes DWT. This represented only 0.7% of the total deadweight tonnage of the maritime transport fleet.
The average age of vessels in the entire maritime transport fleet was 18.5 years. Ships under the Polish flag were much older, with an average age of 42.8 years.
Polish operators carry more cargo and passengers internationally
Polish maritime transport operators carried 7,104.2 thousand tonnes of cargo in 2025, compared with 6,683.8 thousand tonnes a year earlier. This means an increase of 5.9%.
Cargo carried in relation to Polish ports amounted to 6,002.5 thousand tonnes, up 7.9% from 2024. Imports accounted for 52.4% of these shipments and increased by 19.1%. Exports represented 47.6% and were 2.2% lower than a year earlier.
In international passenger transport, Polish shipowners and operators carried 543,000 passengers by maritime fleet, 1.3% more than in 2024. Ferries also transported 205,600 truck drivers, which was 11% fewer than a year earlier.
Coastal fleet remains old, but inter-port passenger transport rises
At the end of 2025, Poland’s coastal transport fleet consisted of 41 vessels. All of them sailed under the Polish flag. Their average age was 50.4 years.
Passenger ships from the coastal transport fleet carried 247,100 passengers between Polish ports, which represented an increase of 60.6%. At the same time, intra-port passenger transport by coastal shipping vessels declined by 4.5% to 583,400 people.
Shipyard order book increases
The shipbuilding industry recorded an increase in its order book. At the end of 2025, it included 12 ships, compared with five vessels a year earlier.
Polish shipyards repaired 387 units with a combined gross tonnage of more than 4 million GT. In 2024, the number of repaired units was higher, at 403, but their total gross tonnage was lower, exceeding 3.8 million GT.
Fishing fleet declines, but total marine catches rise
In maritime fishing, the number of vessels decreased. At the end of 2025, the Polish fishing fleet consisted of 663 ships and boats, 8% fewer than in 2024. Its combined gross tonnage amounted to 33,100 GT, while total engine power reached 72,100 kW. The fleet included two trawlers, 102 cutters and 559 boats.
Catches from Baltic fishing grounds amounted to 71,600 tonnes in 2025, representing 48.3% of total catches. This was 5.1% less than a year earlier. Deep-sea catches, by contrast, increased by 38.3% and reached 76,500 tonnes. Overall, catches of fish and invertebrates from marine waters were 13.2% higher than in 2024.
Sprat continued to dominate Baltic catches. In 2025, sprat catches reached 41,000 tonnes, representing 60.4% of total marine fish catches in the Baltic Sea. In deep-sea fishing, blue whiting and horse mackerel had the largest shares. Blue whiting accounted for 71.4%, while horse mackerel represented 22.7% of the total volume of fish and other marine organisms caught in Atlantic and Pacific waters.
