Polish seaports play a central role in land-sea supply chains. Experts therefore point to the growing importance of ensuring security, including energy security and the safety of cargo handling operations. Among the most significant threats are sabotage attacks and the smuggling of goods. At the same time, they stress that Polish services are performing well, although there is still a shortage of Customs Service and Border Guard officers.
“Operating in Polish seaports means being at the intersection of all land-sea supply chains. Every day, our experience grows in many different areas. We handle various types of cargo, operate in all Polish seaports, and security is absolutely our top priority,” Michał Śmigielski, President of Morska Agencja Gdynia and Chairman of the Management Board of the Port of Gdynia Stakeholders’ Council, told Newseria.
Cargo throughput at Polish seaports reached 128 million tonnes in 2025, up 3.1% compared with 2024. Growth was recorded in Szczecin, where cargo turnover increased by 10.8%, Świnoujście, up 7.2%, and Gdańsk, up 6%. Declines were reported in Gdynia, down 11.7%, and Police, down 1.7%, according to the latest data from Statistics Poland.
“On the one hand, there is physical security. We know that ports face various sabotage activities and that different criminal groups involved in the smuggling of goods operate there. On the other hand, we must also ensure energy security and the safe handling of all strategic cargo,” Śmigielski explained.
In the structure of cargo turnover in 2025, liquid bulk cargo accounted for the largest share at 43.9%, including crude oil and petroleum products at 36.7%. Dry bulk cargo ranked second with a 23.5% share, including coal and coke at 7%. Large containerised cargo accounted for 20.7%.
“Awareness of security issues has increased over the past five years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when supply chains were completely disrupted, it became clear that seaports represented a very strong channel for importing a range of goods. This mainly concerns goods from the Far East, which unfortunately account for the majority of our imports.
“The pandemic showed that the security of cargo handling and supply chains had been somewhat shaken, and we were part of that entire process,” said the President of Morska Agencja Gdynia. “After the COVID-19 pandemic, we then faced the war in Ukraine, which revealed supply-chain problems involving energy commodities, mainly coal.”
According to Forum Energii, the estimated value of Poland’s net imports of energy commodities and fuels reached PLN 104 billion in 2025. Nearly half of this amount, 49%, came from net crude-oil imports worth PLN 51 billion. Natural gas accounted for 29%, or PLN 31 billion, while coal represented 1%, or PLN 0.8 billion.
In 2025, Poland imported only n-butanes from Russia for fuel production. The value of these imports was PLN 0.6 billion, representing less than 1% of the total value of imported commodities and fuels. In 2016, imports from Russia accounted for 81% of the total cost.
“We must constantly undergo detailed inspections. Naturally, there are different types of goods moving through supply chains. As we handle strategic cargo, such as coal, components for offshore and onshore wind turbines, and equipment for gas-fired power plants now being built in Poland, we are under the supervision of the relevant services and must pay attention to where these goods come from,” Śmigielski said.
He stressed that Morska Agencja Gdynia handles a large number of ships in Polish ports, including Szczecin, Świnoujście and Gdynia.
“Many captains complain about GPS signal interference, and this is a common issue, especially in the Tri-City area. When it comes to smuggling, customs services are active, and as a freight forwarder, we quite often encounter cases in which someone imports illegal goods,” Śmigielski said.
On 8 June, it was announced that officers from Poland’s Central Bureau of Police Investigation and the National Revenue Administration had prevented the smuggling of more than one tonne of heroin at the Port of Gdynia. The black-market value of the drugs was estimated at nearly PLN 220 million.
“Polish services are working very well, and we are inspected regularly. There have also been several high-profile operations in Polish ports. One example involved a group of divers from Spain. There were various suspicions, and some people even saw it as a possible sabotage attack on critical infrastructure.
“It later turned out that they were looking for drugs that had been detached from the hull of a ship,” Śmigielski explained. “There are many other situations connected with the proximity of the Kaliningrad region. There are cases involving Russian vessels and aircraft, as well as airspace violations near the Tri-City and the Gulf of Gdańsk. We deal with challenges that people living deeper inland in Poland may not notice.”
In May, Poland’s Ministry of the Interior and Administration reported that a record number of nearly 17,000 officers were responsible for protecting Poland’s borders. This was the highest number in the history of the service.
“At present, there is a major shortage of Customs Service and Border Guard officers, because they work at the border and face significant training-related workloads. Working in a port is very demanding, and we see a need for the Polish state to employ more officers.
“We understand this because, when carrying out various customs clearances of goods, we often have to wait a long time for results. In this respect, additional support could be provided, whether to our agency or to others,” said the President of Morska Agencja Gdynia.
